Misconceptions
by cein
Summary: WARNING this is an MPreg & Slash fic WARNING Epilogue Twenty five years have passed, but what has been happening to GibbsTony and McGeeJimmy in the past quarter century. Final chapter up.
1. Chapter 1

Title:Misconceptions 01 Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Summary: Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Misconceptions

-----------------------------

Abby was bent over her microscope examining a bullet for McGee when Jimmy showed up with an evidence bag from Ducky.

"You know, you must have an inbuilt radar system or something," commented Abby as she adjusted the focus. "McGee got here just five minutes ago!"

"Pure coincidence, Abby" said McGee, grinning as Jimmy squeezed his hand. "It's not as if we planned a rendezvous in your lab."

Abby glanced up at Jimmy, "Well it looks like you've been doing plenty of 'rendezvousing' already, Jimmy looks exhausted. You're wearing him out!" She bent back over her microscope.

McGee looked at his lover. Truth was, Jimmy did appear a little tired...but to him, he looked beautiful. "Actually," said McGee. "I think he looks glowing..." He ignored the quick frown that Jimmy shot at him, and started counting silently to himself, reaching ten, before Abby's head jerked up, a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh my God, oh my God, are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked, delightedly. 

McGee nodded and squeezed Jimmy's hand. "Doctor Wu confirmed it last week...we're having a baby!"

Abby jumped up from her seat and started towards the pair. She hesitated momentarily, as if deciding which one to hug first and then compromised on hugging both. "This is just so amazing! How far along are you? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Calm down Abby," said McGee, unable to keep the smile off his face. "It's early days yet."

"I'm only four weeks along," said Jimmy. "We were going to keep it quiet for another few months...just in case, but big mouth here had other ideas." He slapped McGee gently on the arm. 

"I don't usually hear you complaining about the size of my mouth, love," said McGee, "And besides, Abby will keep it secret, won't you Abs?"

Abby pouted, "But it's such good news, I hate not being able to tell people good news."

"Abby!" said McGee, a warning note in his voice. "Please, we don't want to make a big fuss about it...not yet anyway."

"Please Abby," added Jimmy, "Just keep it quiet for another few weeks."

"Oh all right," said Abby. She hugged the guys again. "But this is just soooo awesome!"

"I know," said Jimmy, a happy smile on his face. 

"Me too," said McGee, wrapping his arms around Jimmy and kissing him.

"Guys, guys, you know that normally I would have zero problem with you two making out in front of me, but there's a time and a place for everything. And my lab when Gibbs is expecting you..." she jabbed McGee in the side, "...upstairs with my ballistics report, is not the right time!"

McGee sighed, "Okay, okay." He gave Jimmy a quick peck on the cheek and then let him go. "I'll see you at lunch, okay love?"

"I'll be waiting..."

Jimmy waited until McGee had left the room with the report before adding, "Not sure if I'll be eating much though." He rubbed his stomach and grimaced slightly. "Dry toast and crackers is about all I can manage..."

"Morning sickness?" asked Abby, sympathetically.

"Just a little. Luckily it's been mostly in the mornings so I haven't had to say anything to Ducky yet. I just know that once he finds out, he'll have me sitting in the morgue all day and I'll never get out into the field."

Abby rubbed Jimmy's arm, "You know he only does it because he cares...we all do."

"I know."

"So apart from the morning sickness, how are you?"

Jimmy smiled, "I've never felt better!".

----------------------

Several hours earlier and miles away, Tony could not be said to be feeling the same way. He was on his knees in front of his toilet, rapidly losing what little breakfast he'd managed to force down. 

Tony finished vomiting and pushed himself away from the toilet, his eyes closed as he sat back against the wall. "This is not happening," he told himself as he tried to think of an alternative explanation for his symptoms. Normally he only felt this sick during a hangover, or if he'd eaten something a bit iffy the night before...but he'd been throwing up every morning this week...and he hadn't been drinking for ages. All the signs pointed to one thing. "I can't be pregnant," Tony told himself. 

Even though Tony had paid more attention to the female students in his biology class than he had to his teacher, he knew that it was entirely possible that he was pregnant. Standing up, he looked at himself sideways in the mirror. There were no visible signs of swelling in his stomach, but Tony knew it could only be a matter of time. He gently stroked his stomach, imagining how it would feel, swelling with his son or daughter.

A banging on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"DiNozzo! Get your ass in gear, we're going to be late." 

Tony jumped as Gibbs's voice brought him back to reality, and his heart sank. He'd only been involved with Gibbs for a little over a month...how was he going to explain to him that he was having somebody else's baby.

----------------------------

To be continued 


	2. Chapter 2

Title:Misconceptions 02 Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Jimmy was four weeks pregnant with McGee's baby, and both of them were happy. So far, Abby was the only person they'd told and she'd been sworn to secrecy. Tony also was pregnant, but he was far from happy, as he'd only been involved with Gibbs for a month, and he knew it couldn't be Gibbs's baby.

-  
Tony jumped as Gibbs's voice brought him back to reality, and his heart sank. He'd only been involved with Gibbs for a little over a month...how was he going to explain to him that he was having somebody else's baby.

-  
Misconceptions 02

Jimmy splashed some water on his face and wondered just how long he was going to get away with concealing his pregnancy. As he'd told Abby last week, he knew that once he told Doctor Mallard, that his boss would certainly wish him to curtail his activities in Autopsy. At the very least, he'd probably insist that Jimmy not accompany him in the field. If truth be told, thought Jimmy as he patted his face dry, Tim would probably be in agreement with Doctor Mallard. It had taken a lot of convincing for him to agree that there was really no reason for Jimmy to take medical leave. "I'm pregnant, not sick," Jimmy had protested. "What do you want me to do all day, sit at home and knit booties?" He knew that it was out of love that Tim worried, and he did love him for it. But Jimmy had no intention of giving up his job...not for several more months at least. Doctor Wu had told him that so long as he didn't strain himself with any heavy lifting, then there was no reason for him not to continue working. "When you get closer to term, you probably won't want to be on your feet too much anyway, but for now just make sure you get plenty of rest when you need it."

So for now Jimmy was being careful, making sure he wasn't in the room when the x-ray machine was in use, wearing sensible shoes to crime scenes...and trying not to sneak off to the head too often. He was about to leave, when he heard a noise coming from one of the cubicles, as if something had slammed into the door. "Uh, hello? Are...are you okay?"

"Go away."

Jimmy blinked, "Tony? Is that you?"

Inside the cubicle Tony looked at the M-Preg test he was holding in his hand. Two blue lines...he read the instructions again, just to make sure he wasn't mistaken. But there was no mistake. He'd had the test in his backpack for over a week now, trying to summon up the nerve to use it, wishing with all his hear t that it was just a false alarm, that it was a phantom pregnancy...hell, he even wished he'd had Y-Pestis again or something, anything but this. But then the blue lines had appeared and his life as he knew was over and in desperation he'd slammed his fist into the wall of the cubicle. The sound of Jimmy's voice had startled him and he let the test fall.

Glancing down, Tony saw that the test had fallen half under the door. He cursed under his breath as he reached down for it, intending to grab it before Jimmy could notice. But even as his fingers touched it, he saw it pulled away from him. "No!" yelped Tony, unbolting the door. "Give that back!"

Jimmy looked at the test, a look of awe on his face, "Tony! Is this yours?"

"Don't see anybody else in here, you autopsy gremlin," snapped Tony as he snatched the test away.

"You're pregnant! That...that's wonderful! Congratulations Tony," said Jimmy. "Wow, I bet Gibbs is gonna be thrilled..." His voice trailed off as he saw the expression on Tony's face. "What's wrong?" 

The noise of the outer door startled them both, and Tony just had time to shove the incriminating test back in his pocket before another agent walked in. He looked curiously at the pair, acknowledging Tony with a nod before stepping up to the urinals. Tony grabbed Jimmy by the arm and hustled him outside. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, "Not here...not now..." Not ever, if he was being honest.

"It's pretty quiet down in Autopsy," said Jimmy. "Doctor Mallard is going to a seminar this evening...he said he'd be leaving early unless a new body came in. Please Tony, you...you look like you need to talk about it."

Tony bit his lip but agreed. Truth be told, Jimmy was right. The last few weeks he'd been bottling his fears up inside of him, afraid to tell Gibbs, and hoping that if he ignored things long enough it'd go away. 

------------------------- 

Tony sat on the edge of an autopsy table, swinging his legs. Gibbs had been called into a meeting with the Director, so it had been an easy matter for Tony to disappear down to Autopsy. McGee and Ziva had been typing up reports and besides, as senior field agent, he didn't have to report to them.

"So," said Jimmy, "Why aren't you happy about being pregnant, I know I am..." He clamped his mouth shut, mentally berating himself for letting it slip.

Tony looked up, "You're what?" A sad smile formed on his lips. "I guess congratulations are in order." Leaning back, he sighed heavily, "No wonder McGee's been looking like the cat that got the cream for ages now."

"I'm sure that Gibbs will be just as happy to be a father," said Jimmy, carefully.

Tony shook his head, "I'm sure he would, kid...the only problem is...it's not his baby." Tony looked up to see a look of shock on Jimmy's face. "Don't look at me like that! I didn't cheat on him if that's what you're thinking...but Gibbs can't have kids...he told me so himself...and I haven't been with anybody else since we hooked up." He swallowed hard, "I guess...I guess I must have been knocked up already and just didn't realize it." He groaned, "I can't tell him I'm having a kid for someone else, I just can't."

Jimmy patted him awkwardly on the shoulder, "So what are you going to do? I mean, you're what..." he thought back to when Tony and Gibbs had started seeing each other, "...at least eight weeks along? You won't be able to hide it from him for much longer."

"More like ten by my count," said Tony, "I uh, had a bit of a dry spell before Gibbs...but I...I don't plan on having to hide it...because I'm gonna make sure there's nothing to hide." He bowed his head.

"But how...oh...I see," said Jimmy, as the realization hit him.

"Yeah," said Tony. "As soon...as soon as I find a doc to see to it..." He swallowed hard. "Look Jimmy, thanks for listening and all, but I really have to get this sorted out myself." He jumped down off the table. "I'll find a doc and get it seen to...and...and then I can get on with my life." He didn't sound quite convinced, but Tony couldn't see any other option open to him if he wanted to keep his relationship with Gibbs. 

"You shouldn't have to do this alone," Jimmy hesitated only briefly before continuing, "I...I'll give you the number for my OB...she'll be able to see you. And...and if you need somebody with you," he swallowed hard. "I'll be there."

---------------------------

True to his word, Jimmy accompanied Tony on his visit to the OB. He felt somewhat guilty at having to lie to Tim, saying he was going to the dentist for a checkup, but he reassured himself that it was for a good cause. At the back of his mind he was still hoping that he could convince Tony to change his mind and tell Gibbs what was happening. But for now, Tony was his friend and if he needed his support, he was going to get it.

"Okay Tony," said Doctor Wu as she completed her case history. "Pop up on the couch and I'll just do a quick ultrasound to confirm how far along you are."

Normally Tony would have had plenty to say to any pretty woman who ordered him to lie down, but he just wasn't in a flirting mood. He lay back and pulled up his top, tensing slightly as the cold gel was applied to his belly. He could hear the swishing noise coming from the ultrasound monitor and resolutely turned his head away, not wanting to see anything that might make him change his mind.

"Hmm," said Doctor Wu.

"Is something wrong?" asked Jimmy, concern in his voice as he moved over to stand by Tony's side.

"No, no, there's nothing wrong." Doctor Wu moved the ultrasound probe around. "Tony, you said that you were at least ten weeks pregnant?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Tony did a quick mental calculation. He'd hooked up with Gibbs six weeks earlier, there'd been that dry spell that he'd told Jimmy about, so the last non-Gibbs sexual encounter he'd had, had been, "Nine or ten weeks, maybe more."

Doctor Wu shook her head, "Well not according to the size of the fetus."

"You mean I'm further along?" There was a note of panic in Tony's voice as he realized that he might have left things too late.

"No. From the size of the fetus, I'd estimate that conception occurred no more than...five weeks ago."

------------------------------

To be continued 


	3. Chapter 3

Title:Misconceptions 03?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Jimmy was pregnant by McGee and they were both happy about it. Tony was also pregnant, but not so happy as Gibbs couldn't have kids, and Tony didn't know how to tell him that he must have fallen pregnant before they'd hooked up. Jimmy found out about Tony's concerns and brought him to see his OB who did an ultrasound.

------------------------

"You mean I'm further along?" There was a note of panic in Tony's voice as he realized that he might have left things too late.

"No. From the size of the fetus, I'd estimate that conception occurred no more than...five weeks ago."

-  
03

"Drink this," ordered Jimmy as he handed a steaming cup to Tony. "You look as if you need it."

Tony did indeed look very pale and shaken as he sat on a bench in the corridor outside Dr. Wu's office. He'd hardly listened as the doc had checked her measurements again and confirmed her estimated age of the fetus. He'd been vaguely aware of her giving Jimmy the referral to the clinic that Tony would need if he went ahead with his plans to have a termination, and he also heard her recommend a counselor. "What ever you decide to do, Tony, it would probably be no harm to contact Dr. Jackson either way." 

Now Tony took the cup from Jimmy with shaking hands. He sipped it carefully, nearly spitting it out when he realized what it was, "Tea?" he said, looking at Jimmy indignantly.

Jimmy sat down beside Tony, "You need something to calm you down a bit, and too much caffeine isn't a good idea at this stage of your pregnancy." He pushed aside the thought that it wasn't really going to make much difference if Tony was going to have a termination.

Tony managed a wry smile, "Probably lucky that I'm the one knocked up then and not Gibbs." His face fell, "Jeez, Jimmy, what the hell am I gonna do?" He sat back on the bench, letting his head fall back against the wall.

Jimmy frowned, "I don't understand. I thought you were worried about Gibbs finding out you were having somebody else's baby."

"You don't get it, do you? Gibbs can't have kids because he went and got himself a vasectomy, years ago. I know they don't always take, but he wouldn't have done if he wasn't serious about not wanting kids, so what's he gonna say when he finds out I'm having one for him...what if he doesn't want this one? I...I don't want to lose him. I just...I just can't get my head around it all. For the last few weeks I've either been trying to convince myself that I wasn't pregnant...or psyching myself up to go and make myself not be pregnant any more...and now everything has changed and I...I just don't know what to do." He sighed heavily, "And I don't know how Gibbs is gonna react and I don't know how I want him to react...and...and...I don't know that I'm ready to be a father and I just know that I'm gonna screw it all up, just like my old man, and I just don't know what to do..." Tony's hands were shaking so much that he nearly squashed the paper cup.

Jimmy quickly took the tea away from Tony. "Look at me, Tony," he said firmly, waiting until Tony had made eye contact before he continued, "Take a deep breath...in...and out...in...and out..." Once Tony had calmed down a little, Jimmy said, "Firstly...you do not have to make any decision immediately. You heard what Dr. Wu said, if you want to terminate this pregnancy, you still have time to decide. I know you're scared...I know you're freaking out," Jimmy smiled, "You should have seen me when I got it confirmed, I was like Chicken Little for the first few days...running around feeling like the sky was falling in on me. And Tim was almost as bad. He wanted to buy every baby book on the market to make sure we weren't making any mistakes."

"Yeah, but at least you guys had each other. I...I don't know if I'll have Jethro any more once I tell him."

"You won't be alone," said Jimmy, gently. "Whatever happens, I promise you, you won't be alone." He squeezed Tony's hands.

"Thanks Jimmy. That...that means a lot." Tony sighed heavily, "And don't take this the wrong way...but you're really not the person I need to be having this conversation with."

"Gibbs?"

Tony nodded. "I...I have to tell him. It's his kid...I owe him that much...I just gotta wait for the right time."

------------------------------

Jimmy was curled up on the couch half asleep when McGee returned home that night. 

"Hey there," he said, sleepily, hearing McGee approach. He started to sit up but McGee pushed him back down, kissing him on the lips as he did so. Jimmy wrapped his arms around McGee, holding him close. "You're late."

"I know, love," said McGee. "Gibbs had me checking the video feed from the McGuffin crime scene...again." He straightened up.

"I kept some dinner for you, it'll only take a few minutes in the microwave."

"You mean you didn't eat it all yourself?" teased McGee.

"That only happened once!" laughed Jimmy. "Besides, you were the one worrying that I wasn't eating enough!" He yawned widely. "Sorry, just can't seem to stay awake these evenings."

"You go to bed, I'll join you when I've eaten." McGee pulled Jimmy to his feet and gave him a peck on his cheek. "Don't forget to brush your teeth," he added as he went into the small kitchen. 

"Yes Mom," he heard Jimmy call back.

McGee set the microwave going and then busied himself grabbing a knife and fork. Moving past the kitchen table, he accidentally knocked Jimmy's jacket off the chair it had been draped over. Tutting to himself about boyfriends who didn't hang their clothes up properly, McGee noticed a piece of paper on the floor. "Must have fallen out of his pocket," he said to himself, even as he reached down for it. 

He hadn't intended to read it, figuring it was just some M.E. related business or something, but seeing the logo of Doctor Wu's clinic on the letterhead, he assumed it was some pre-natal stuff that he ought to see. 

McGee frowned as he read the notes. This was dated today, but he knew they hadn't had any appointments scheduled with Doctor Wu for another week or so. And why the heck was there a referral to a family planning clinic? It wasn't like he and Jimmy were doing to need any contraception for now. McGee rummaged through the jacket pockets coming up with a handful of scrap paper...and a business card. "Doctor E. Jackson," he read to himself, wondering just what Jimmy was doing with a card for a shrink in his pocket.

McGee's dinner cooled on the table beside him as he booted up his laptop. It took him less than a minute to bring up the home page for the clinic and he quickly scanned the site. The words 'terminations' hit him like a slap in the face.

-------------------------

To be continued 


	4. Chapter 4

Title:Misconceptions 04?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Tissues may be required.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Jimmy was having McGee's baby and both were delighted.  
Tony was also pregnant, but not so happy. Knowing that Gibbs had had a Vasectomy, Tony initially assumed he'd gotten pregnant before hooking up with him, but an ultrasound proved this wasn't the case. Now Tony was worried about telling Gibbs. Jimmy was being very supportive, bringing Tony to his OB and helping him get details in the even that he decided not to continue with the pregnancy.

Misconceptions 04

-----------------------------

McGee's dinner cooled on the table beside him as he booted up his laptop. It took him less than a minute to bring up the home page for the clinic and he quickly scanned the site. The words 'terminations' hit him like a slap in the face.

-------------------------

4

McGee sat looking at the website for what seemed like an eternity. So fixated on it was he that he didn't hear the footsteps coming into the room, and he jumped when he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around him. 

"Hey," said Jimmy, sleepily as he rested his chin on McGee's shoulder. "I was waiting for you." He yawned, "Thought you might have fallen asleep on the couch after eating." He rubbed his cheek against McGee's as he glanced at the laptop.

McGee didn't say a word. He could tell from the sudden tension in Jimmy's arms, the exact moment when his lover had registered what site was on the laptop screen. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked, evenly.

"Why are you looking at that site?" Jimmy's voice was shaky.

"I don't know...maybe you should tell me why you had a referral for it in your jacket?" McGee pulled away from Jimmy and stood up, turning to face him. "And maybe you should tell me why you went back to see Doctor Wu today instead of going to the dentist...at least I assume the dental appointment was just a cover story."

Jimmy had backed away slightly. "Tim, it's not what it looks like..." He clamped his mouth shut, not wishing to betray Tony's secret.

"Is there something wrong with the baby? Is that what this is? Tell me Jimmy, please don't shut me out." McGee bit his lip, this was the worst thing he could think of...and then he thought of something worse, "Oh God, Jimmy," he moved closer and grabbed Jimmy's hands, "Is something wrong with you?"

"What? Oh...oh...no, Tim..." Jimmy brought McGee's hands to his lips and kissed them, "I'm fine...the baby's fine...I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the appointment..." Jimmy squeezed McGee's hands. "I promised I wouldn't...please Tim, I know we don't have secrets from each other, but this isn't mine to tell...not yet anyway. I swear that it's got nothing to do with me...with us..."

McGee wrapped his arms around Jimmy and hugged him closely, "So long as you and the baby are okay...that's all that matters."

"I'll tell you as soon as I can," promised Jimmy, hoping that Tony would find the 'right time', soon.

---------------------------------

A few weeks later however, Tony still hadn't found the 'right time'. He knew that he should just come out and tell Gibbs what was going on, but he just kept putting it off, using the excuse of pressures of work. "I don't want to tell Gibbs while he has his mind on this case," said Tony to Jimmy one afternoon. Ducky was in his office finishing up a report, and Gibbs was in there with him, probably pacing the floor impatiently.

Jimmy looked at Tony, an exasperated expression on his face, "Tony, when is Gibbs ever not going to have his mind on a case? You can't keep putting this off. Gibbs isn't blind, he's going to notice sooner or later."

"I know, I know," said Tony. "And I will tell him...I just gotta pick the right time."

"When? Just before your waters break?" 

Tony couldn't help but laugh.

"Something amusing about Autopsy?" Gibbs was standing in Ducky's doorway, looking at Tony and Jimmy suspiciously. He hadn't failed to notice that Tony had been spending an awful lot of time in the company of Ducky's assistant these last few weeks. And any times Gibbs's path had crossed with Palmer's, the younger man seemed a lot more nervous than usual. If Gibbs hadn't known better, he would have thought that Palmer was hiding something. Even now his young face had a guilty expression on it, as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. 

"Um, no, Agent Gibbs, Tony and I, we were just...just..." stammered Jimmy.

"Jimmy was just explaining to me the effects of aging on the human body," said Tony, quickly. "Riveting stuff, Boss. I'll tell you all about it sometime." He straightened up. "We good to go?"

Gibbs eyed him carefully, knowing that Tony was yanking his chain. He knew that he was older than Tony. He knew that he was considerably older than pretty near all of Tony's previous partners. Not that he was embarrassed about his age, but he didn't like it being flaunted in his face...especially when there were so many younger agents around. So many young men and women who were much closer to Tony in age. So many people who could catch Tony's eyes sooner or later...so much competition.

"Yeah, we're good." Gibbs walked out of Autopsy.

"Tony," hissed Jimmy, "Now's as good a time as any."

Tony looked at Jimmy, and bit his lip. "I...okay..." He swallowed hard.

"Good luck," said Jimmy softly as Tony left the room. He watched through the Autopsy doors as Tony caught up with Gibbs and stopped him at the elevator. 

--------------------

"Boss, wait up," said Tony, "I...I have something I need to tell you."

Gibbs turned around, his expression carefully neutral. "What is it, DiNozzo?" At the back of his mind, he was sure he knew what Tony was about to say. They'd been together for what, nine, ten weeks now? That was easily ten times longer than any previous relationship Tony had been in. This was going to be his 'Dear John' conversation, Gibbs was sure of it. But at least Tony was doing him the courtesy of having it face to face and not leaving him a letter on the kitchen table.  
"Well? What is it?"

Tony swallowed hard, wishing he hadn't listened to Jimmy. "I...Jethro...I'm going to have a baby..."

Gibbs's mouth opened wide, "What?"

Tony continued, his words spilling out as if a floodgate had been opened, "I'm pregnant, Jethro, eight weeks, I've been wanting to tell you for ages, but I just couldn't bring myself to say anything and I was scared about how you'd react because I know you didn't want kids and I guess I must have screwed up and I'm sorry and..." Tony's voice trailed off as he saw the expression on Gibbs's face.

"Eight weeks...and we've been together for ten," Gibbs's voice was cold. "So you only waited, what, two weeks before getting bored and cheating on me." He laughed derisively, "Guess I should flatter myself that you waited even that long." 

"What?" Tony was shocked. "No...I...wait, Gibbs, I haven't been with anybody else, I swear...it's your baby! Honest."

"I haven't been with anybody else Jethro, I've been a good faithful wife to you" The words echoed in Gibbs's mind, just as Diane had said them to him, oh so long ago. But she'd been lying then, and he'd seen the proof of it when he'd come home unexpectedly and found her in bed with the next-door neighbor. Even then she'd tried to deny it, saying that it was a once off event, and he'd almost believed her, and then he'd gone to the bank and found their joint account had been cleared out and most of the house as well.

"Don't lie to me, DiNozzo!" yelled Gibbs, "You know that's impossible." He pushed Tony against the wall. "Who is it? Who've you been fucking behind my back, you lying little tramp?"

"Nobody, Gibbs, nobody, I swear it." Tony didn't think he'd ever seen Gibbs this angry...and he'd certainly never seen this much of Gibbs's anger directed at him. He backed away from Gibbs, knocking over a waste bin. "I love you, Gibbs..."

"I love you Jethro" Diane had said the very morning before she'd left him penniless. All Gibbs could see was her cheating face as he raised his fist.

Gibbs had never hit anybody who hadn't deserved it. The walls in his house bore more than one dent from his fist where he'd vented his anger on an inanimate object, rather than the person who he was angry with. Now was no exception as he swung his fist towards the wall to one side of DiNozzo's face.

Unfortunately, from the angle he was looking at, Jimmy didn't realize this.

He'd been hovering in Autopsy, waiting to see what the outcome would be of Tony's revelation to Gibbs. The raised voices had concerned him, but he forced himself to wait, knowing that this was something that Gibbs and Tony needed to work out for themselves. It wasn't until he heard the clatter of something being knocked over; that Jimmy decided it was time to step in.

He'd just opened the doors when he saw Tony backed up against the wall and Gibbs with his fist raised. Without thinking, Jimmy ran forwards, grabbing Gibbs's arm and trying to pull him away, "Agent Gibbs, NO!"

For a brief second, Gibbs's eyes met Jimmy's. The one face so full of rage, the other full of fear and concern. And then Gibbs wrenched his arm free, pushing Jimmy away and sending him stumbling sideways. Jimmy tried to regain his balance but the upturned waste bin was in his path. He slammed into the wall hard...his legs gave way beneath him and he slid down the wall to the ground.  
------------------------

To be continued 


	5. Chapter 5

Title:Misconceptions 05?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS - Jimmy was pregnant with McGee's baby. Tony was pregnant by Gibbs, but scared to tell him because he knew that Gibbs had had a vasectomy and clearly didn't want kids. Tony finally plucked up the courage to tell Gibbs, but to his shock, Gibbs didn't believe that he was the father and reacted angrily in his belief that Tony had been cheating on him. Jimmy heard the fight and tried to intervene.

For a brief second, Gibbs's eyes met Jimmy's. The one face so full of rage, the other full of fear and concern. And then Gibbs wrenched his arm free, pushing Jimmy away and sending him stumbling sideways. Jimmy tried to regain his balance but the upturned waste bin was in his path. He slammed into the wall hard...his legs gave way beneath him and he slid down the wall to the ground. ------------------------

Jimmy wasn't the only one who had heard the commotion. Ducky emerged from his office saying, "Mr. Palmer, what have you knocked over this time?" He was just in time to see his assistant hurry through the other door.

The sound of raised voices attracted Ducky's attention and he quickly followed Jimmy's path, but by the time he'd reached the door he was too late. 

Tony was standing against the wall, his face a mask of fear. Gibbs was standing in the middle of the corridor, the anger on his face being replaced by a look of shock. And Jimmy...Ducky's heart sank as he saw him crumpled in a heap against the wall. "Good God, man, what have you done?" asked Ducky, even as he crouched down beside Jimmy. 

Jimmy could hardly breathe. He felt sick and dizzy all at once. His head hurt...his arm hurt from where he'd made contact with the wall...but worst of all was the hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he'd been punched. He could hear Doctor Mallard beside him, calling his name, but when he opened his mouth to reply, a moan of pain was all that came out. 

Ducky sucked in his breath sharply before turning to Gibbs, "Call the paramedics," he ordered, "Now! Tell them we've a gravid male, possible concussion."

Gibbs just stared at Ducky open mouthed, "He's pregnant?" he asked, horrified that he might have hurt a pregnant man.

"Just call the damn paramedics," snapped Ducky before turning his attentions back to Jimmy.  
"Jimmy my boy, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?" he asked in a much gentler tone as Gibbs hurried away.

Jimmy's eyes flickered open and he tried to focus on Ducky. "Doc...Doctor Mallard?" he managed to say. "You...you know?"

"My dear boy, I suspected as much from the very first time you threw up during an autopsy. Really Jimmy, a hangover? Now if you'd thought to pass it off as food poisoning, that I might have believed."

Jimmy opened his mouth to respond, but a wave of nausea hit him and he could only mouth the words, "feel sick..." seconds before throwing up. 

Ducky held him gently; rubbing his back until he'd finished vomiting. "It's okay my boy," he said softly as Jimmy went limp in his arms. "It's okay." He looked up to see Tony still standing there, frozen with fear. "Don't just stand there, Tony, get Timothy down here immediately."

"I...he...he's not here. He's with Ziva...interviews for a case..."

"Well then phone him and have them meet us at Bethesda."

Tony moved forward, stumbling to a crouch beside Ducky.  
"Is he...will he...is he going to lose the baby?" he asked hoarsely.

Ducky's face was grim as he replied softly, "I don't know." He tightened his grip on Jimmy protectively. "I don't know."

--------------------------

Ziva and McGee were in the middle of an interview when the phone call came. Or rather McGee was conducting the interview and Ziva was trying not to stare with horrific fascination at the interviewee who had the absolute worst set of teeth she'd seen in her life. She made a mental note to make finding a trustworthy dentist for herself a priority.

Seeing the N.C.I.S. number on the caller I.D., Ziva excused herself, hoping it was Gibbs telling them he'd solved the case and they didn't have to listen to this boring man with the hideous teeth any more.

The last thing she expected to hear was a barely coherent Tony, babbling on about an accident and how it hadn't been Gibbs's fault and Ducky wanting McGee to be contacted and Jimmy being brought to Bethesda and how he might lose the baby. It took all of Ziva's training and self-control to keep a carefully neutral expression on her face as she returned to the room and told McGee they had to leave. "Gibbs wants us over at Bethesda," said Ziva as they returned to the car, her voice as usual betraying no sign that she was lying through her teeth. 

"Did he say why?" asked McGee, a note of surprise in his voice.

"No," said Ziva, not lying this time. "You know how Gibbs is. He says 'jump' and we are supposed to jump without even asking 'how high'." Technically true, if a bit misleading in its implication that Gibbs had been the one she'd spoken with.

Fortunately McGee didn't question her any further, and as usual her driving was sufficiently distracting so as to preclude any conversation on the drive to the hospital.

--------------------

Ziva waited until she had parked the car before turning to McGee.  
"Tim," she said, carefully. "We were not called here to investigate a case." She hesitated before continuing, "There was an...incident at N.C.I.S. I do not know the details, but it appears that Jimmy was involved."

The color drained from McGee's face, but before Ziva could say anything, he was out of the car and stumbling towards the hospital entrance. 

Ziva caught up with him in the entrance hall as he spun around looking for directions.

"I...what...where have they taken him?" asked McGee, frantically. 

"The E.R. is this way," said Ziva, indicating the signs. "We'll find him."

She flashed her badge at a security guard who was manning the metal detectors and he waved them through.

------------------------------

Tony was huddled on a chair in the relative's area, trying to stop himself from shaking. Jimmy had looked so pale as they'd loaded him onto the gurney back at N.C.I.S. Ducky had insisted on traveling with him in the ambulance, talking to him and reassuring him all the while. Gibbs and Tony had followed in Gibbs's car, neither of them saying a word.

It wasn't just the memory of how Jimmy had looked that was upsetting Tony, but also the memory of how Gibbs had looked at him, just before he'd raised his fist. He'd raised his fist to him...something Tony had never ever thought Gibbs would do. And it didn't matter that he'd been aiming for the wall beside him, what mattered to Tony was that he had made Gibbs angry enough to get violent...Jimmy had only been trying to help and now he was in the ER and might lose the baby he wanted so much and it would be all Tony's fault. 

Gibbs was pacing the floor in front of him. He hadn't said a word to Tony since Jimmy had gotten hurt. He hadn't even looked at him. Tony didn't know if he'd ever speak to him again.  
The sound of running footsteps made him look up just as McGee burst through the door, followed closely by Ziva.

"Boss!" said McGee, his voice shaky, "Where...where's Jimmy? How is he? What happened? Was it another terrorist attack?"

Gibbs swallowed hard before responding, "Jimmy's inside in the E.R.," he said carefully. "Ducky's with him, I don't know how he is, the doc's haven't told us yet."

Ziva guided McGee to a chair, "Sit," she ordered. "I will see if I can find out what's going on?"

"But what happened?" asked McGee again. Ziva waited by the door, she too wanted to know what was going on.

"There was...an incident," said Gibbs. "Jimmy tripped. He hit his head on the wall."

"Tripped? How? On the stairs? Oh God, no...not down the stairs."

"Tony and I," said Gibbs, "We were having a bit of an argu...a heated discussion. Jimmy got in the middle...McGee; I swear it was an accident. One minute he'd grabbed my arm...I shook him off...and he just fell..."

"You pushed him?"

Gibbs started to say something but McGee didn't let him get a word in. 

"You pushed him...and he fell?" McGee was moving towards Gibbs now. "You son of a bitch!" he yelled as he lunged towards Gibbs, slamming him up against the wall. "You pushed him into a wall so hard he had to be brought to hospital and you're calling it an accident?"

Gibbs tried to push McGee away but couldn't.

"What the hell sort of 'heated discussion' were you having anyway that Jimmy had to get in the way?" McGee had a firm grip on Gibbs's jacket. "Were you pushing Tony into a wall? Was that it? Did Jimmy walk in on you beating up Tony, is that why you shoved him into a wall?"

Gibbs finally managed to break McGee's grip and push him away. "I am not in the habit of beating up my boyfriend," he snapped.

"No, you just beat up mine instead." McGee pushed Gibbs back into the wall again. "He's pregnant, you bastard...and if you've hurt him...or the baby..." His voice trailed off into a sob and he made no resistance as Ziva pulled him away and led him to a chair.

Throughout all this, Tony had remained seated, his face pale. "It...it was my fault," he said softly, looking at the floor. "I...I was the one who got Gibbs all riled up...Jimmy...he...he was just trying to help me..." Tony looked over to where Ziva and McGee were sitting. "Gibbs would never have laid a finger on me, Tim...but Jimmy...he didn't know that. God I'm so sorry, Tim. I...I'd give anything to go back and make it right..." 

"You're not the one who pushed Jimmy into a wall," said McGee, his voice cold. 

"Dammit, it was an accident," said Gibbs. "I..." The door opened before he could say anything and they all turned around to see Ducky standing there, a doctor beside him.

-----------------------------

To be continued 


	6. Chapter 6

Title:Misconceptions 06?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS.  
Jimmy was pregnant with McGee's baby. Tony was pregnant by Gibbs, but scared to tell him because he knew that Gibbs had had a vasectomy. Tony finally plucked up the courage to tell Gibbs, but to his shock, Gibbs didn't believe that he was the father and reacted angrily in his belief that Tony had been cheating on him. Jimmy heard the fight and tried to intervene but Gibbs pushed him away and he hit a wall and needed to be rushed to hospital.  
McGee reacted angrily to the news that Jimmy had been injured because of Gibbs.

"You're not the one who pushed Jimmy into a wall," said McGee, his voice cold. 

"Dammit, it was an accident," said Gibbs. "I..." The door opened before he could say anything and they all turned around to see Ducky standing there, a doctor beside him.

-----------------------------

6

McGee found himself on his feet and moving towards Ducky. "I...is he...where's Jimmy?"

Ducky smiled gently, "Doctor Oliver will take you to see him, Timothy." He squeezed McGee's hand as he hurried past him, and then stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ziva was the first one to speak, "Ducky, how is Jimmy?"

"He has a mild concussion, some bruising, but as near as they can tell without x-ray's, there doesn't seem to be anything broken. Naturally he's fairly shaken, and Doctor Oliver is keeping him overnight for observation, but it's purely a precautionary measure."

"And the baby?"

"All seems well," replied Ducky. 

Gibbs heaved a huge sigh of relief, "That's great news, Ducky." The thought that he could have seriously injured Palmer...maybe even caused him to lose the baby, had been weighing heavily on Gibbs's mind even before McGee's outburst. Gibbs knew that if anybody had laid a hand on Shannon when she'd been carrying Kelly, he'd have been just as angry.

"Yes, yes it is," replied Ducky. "Jethro, a moment outside, if you wouldn't mind."

He waited until the door was closed behind them before looking Gibbs in the eye and saying, "Now, do you mind telling me exactly what the hell happened between you and my assistant?"

"It was an accident, Ducky. I didn't know he was pregnant," said Gibbs, defensively.

"Is that supposed to make it any better? Dammit Jethro, I don't like it when my people end up in hospital, no matter who is responsible."

"I'm sorry Ducky," said Gibbs, "Believe me, I really am."

"I'm not the person you need to be apologizing to."

"I know, and as soon as Palmer's up to it, I'll apologize to him and McGee as well."

"Yes, yes you certainly will...but that wasn't who I was referring to." Ducky gestured towards the door. "There's a young man in there who's pregnant and scared and right now he needs you Gibbs."

-----------------

"Ziva my dear," said Ducky, as he returned to the waiting room. "I wonder if I could trouble you for a ride back to N.C.I.S."

"Of course, Ducky," said Ziva; aware that there were things going on which she was not privy to. Something was - to use Abby's favorite phrase - 'a little hinky'. Ziva wished that Abby was around to help get to the bottom of it, but she'd left a few days earlier on a long planned vacation, and wasn't due back for a few more weeks.

Ziva stood and turned to Tony, "Tony, do you require a lift also?"

Tony shook his head, not taking his eyes off Gibbs who had followed Ducky back into the room. "I...no. No, Ziva, thanks. I...I'll wait for Gibbs..."

"Okay," said Ziva. She eyed Gibbs carefully as she followed Ducky out of the room. "Ducky," she asked, once they were well out of earshot of Gibbs. "What the hell is going on?"

Ducky sighed as he took Ziva's arm. "An all too familiar tale."

-----------------------

McGee hesitated at the door to Jimmy's room, his hand on the doorframe. "I...he...he is going to be all right?" he asked Doctor Oliver again.

"His vital signs are all normal," replied Oliver reassuringly. "It's purely as a precautionary measure that we've admitted him. "I know it's difficult, but try not to worry."

"And the baby, the baby's going to be all right as well?"

"There was no abdominal trauma. The ultrasound showed no discernable problems. I'd like to keep Jimmy on bed rest for the next day or two." Oliver saw the look of panic that flashed across McGee's face and added quickly, "Again, it's just as a precaution. He's going to be a little shaky for a few days, so the rest will do him good."

"I...I...thank you," said McGee. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door. 

-----------------------

Jimmy heard the door open and squinted at the figure that entered. His glasses had been broken in the fall, and their absence, combined with the bruising on his face and the hospital gown, conspired to give him a very vulnerable appearance, as he lay huddled on the bed.

"Oh Jimmy," was all that McGee could say as he hurried towards the bed. 

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," said Jimmy, as McGee sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around him. "I should have been more careful..."

"This wasn't your fault, Jimmy," said McGee. "Look at me." He pulled back just enough so he could look Jimmy in the eye. "You have done nothing wrong, do you hear me?"

But Jimmy wasn't listening, "I just saw Gibbs...he looked like he was going to hurt Tony, and Tony's pregnant...he's having a baby, and I thought Gibbs was going to hit him...and I couldn't let him...and I just didn't stop to think and I'm so sorry Tim..."

"You did what you thought was right," said McGee, firmly. "Gibbs had no right to raise a hand to you...or Tony. He had no right," McGee held Jimmy closely. "No right," he muttered angrily under his breath. "Wait a minute," he said a few seconds later, "Tony's pregnant?"

---------------------

There was silence in the waiting room for a few minutes after Ducky and Ziva had left. Finally Tony spoke up. "So what do we do now, Jethro?"

Gibbs sat down on the opposite side of the room to Tony. "You tell me." There was no trace of the anger that had been there a few hours earlier, but there was no warmth either.

"I wasn't lying to you, Jethro...I...I haven't been with anybody since you and I got together. I swear it."

"Dammit Tony," groaned Gibbs, "I can not have children...you know that. I've had a vasectomy."

Tony buried his head in his hands. "And I haven't cheated on you." He looked up at Gibbs and took a deep breath. "You want to know what we do now? Well I'm going back to Doctor Wu, I'm gonna get her to do a DNA test...you'll see it in black and white, Jethro. Will that be enough to prove to you I'm not lying."

Gibbs sighed heavily. "No..."

Tony looked at him in shock as Gibbs continued. "This isn't about the paternity of your baby...this is about me and being able to trust you. I...I shouldn't have to rely on a piece of paper to tell me whether I can trust you or not...either I trust you or I don't...and a DNA test isn't gonna tell me that."

"I'm not one of your ex-wives, Jethro. I...I don't know what kind of fucked up relationships you've had in the past..." Tony moved out of his chair and crouched down in front of Gibbs. "I know that I've always behaved like a horndog...I know that I've changed my sexual partners more often than my underwear sometimes." He clasped Gibbs's hands in his. "But I have never...ever...cheated on my partners. Yes, I've had bucketloads of short lived relationships...but I always split from one partner before hooking up with another...I've been cheated on myself, I know what it's like...and I swore I'd never do that to anybody I loved..." Tony raised his hands to clasp Gibbs's face, "And I love you, Jethro..." 

"Even after what I did today?" asked Gibbs, hoarsely. "You saw how out of control I was...do you really want to put yourself through that?"

"You didn't mean it...you were angry...and...and I don't blame you. It was my fault, I shouldn't have got you mad like that."

Gibbs carefully removed Tony's hands from his face and stood up. "Can't you hear yourself Tony? You sound like every abused wife I've ever interviewed trying to get them to press charges against their partner's. I...I am no good for you...I raised a hand to you today..."

"But you wouldn't have hit me," interrupted Tony, standing to look Gibbs in the eye. 

"Not this time, no...but what happens the next time? Dammit Tony, I'm a jealous bastard...I see you chatting with somebody nearer your own age and it just burns me up inside to think that you might one day decide to hook up with somebody who's not almost old enough to be your father. It's better if we just end it right here and now."

"You...you're breaking up with me?" Tony's voice was full of pain. "Gibbs, I'm pregnant...I'm having your baby and you're breaking up with me? God dammit, who the hell gave you the right to decide when to call it quits?" He pushed Gibbs backwards until he was forced up against the wall. "What the hell sort of marine quits just because things get a little rocky?"

"Dammit Tony, I don't want to hurt you..."

"Then don't break my heart...I love you Gibbs, I need you..." Tony reached out and grabbed Gibbs hand, placing it on his belly. "We need you...please Jethro...what we've got...just because it isn't easy, doesn't mean it isn't right...we can do this...together..."

"You really think I'm worth it?"

"Yes," said Tony simply. "Even if I wasn't pregnant...I'd still be saying this. I love you Jethro...I...I know you don't want kids, but..."

Gibbs interrupted, "I never said I didn't want..." He broke off and sighed heavily, "Tony...I...the reason I had a vasectomy..." He hesitated before continuing, "A long time ago...my first wife, Shannon. She had health problems, a bad heart. Her doctor said that if she had anoth...if she had a baby, it could kill her. So we were careful. But one month we had a scare, and...and it freaked both of us out. So we figured we'd make sure it didn't happen again. Shannon's heart wouldn't have stood the strain of a general anesthetic for a sterilization, so I had the snip...only six months later our marriage was dead in the water." Gibbs rubbed his face with his hand. "My other wives, well kids were never on Diane's agenda, and I drove Ellen away before she started talking about them."

Gibbs hoped that for once Tony's 'Gibbs sense' wouldn't tell him that he was being lied to. He didn't think he could bear to tell him about Kelly, who had been the love of his life from the day she'd been born to the day he'd watched her die. How could he tell Tony that the reason he'd never even considered getting the vasectomy reversed was because he couldn't face becoming a father again...or rather, he couldn't face the pain that went with burying another child that he'd failed to protect. Tony would be better off without him...his child would be better off...would be safer if everybody believed it to be fathered by somebody other than Leroy Jethro Gibbs. 

If I really loved Tony, thought Gibbs, then I should toss him aside, send him packing and deny the child in his belly...that way both it and Tony would be safe. But as he looked Tony in the eyes, Gibbs knew that he couldn't be the one to inflict such pain on him. Maybe someday he'd be able to tell him about Kelly and Shannon. Maybe Tony would prove to be a better father than he had been, better able to protect his child at any rate. But for now, all Gibbs could do was reach out to him. 

Gibbs pulled Tony close into his arms. "I don't know why you want me. I'm mean and nasty and suspicious...and those are my better qualities..."

Tony put a finger on his lips to silence him, "I love you," he said simply.

---------------------

To be continued. 


	7. Chapter 7

Title:Misconceptions 7?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Gibbs reacted angrily when Tony told him he was pregnant. He accused Tony of cheating on him and was about to punch the wall when Jimmy intervened and was accidentally pushed into the wall. McGee lashed out at Gibbs when he found out he was responsible for Jimmy's injury.

Gibbs pulled Tony close into his arms. "I don't know why you want me. I'm mean and nasty and suspicious...and those are my better qualities..."

Tony put a finger on his lips to silence him, "I love you," he said simply.

---------------------

7

"How very sweet."

Gibbs and Tony both jumped at the sound of McGee's voice. Tony was the first to recover, "McGee, how's Jimmy doing?"

McGee moved into the room and let the door shut behind him. "He's resting now. I...I'm just going to home and get him a few things he'll need. His glasses got broken, he'll need his spare pair, and some other stuff." He rubbed his face wearily.

Gibbs took a step forward, "McGee, I'm so sorry about what happened. I swear to you it was an accident."

"Yeah, well with all due respect, Gibbs, you can stick your apology." 

"McGee," said Tony, "I..."

McGee didn't let him finish. "All this time I've been working with you, Gibbs, and I've always known you had a temper. I know I've been on the receiving end of it a few times, but that's cool, because it's always been part of the job, and sometimes the job needs a person with a mean streak in them to get it done." He took a deep breath before continuing, "You have us running around like headless chickens to do your bidding because we don't want to make you mad at us or disappoint you. And it works, because we get results and it's never bothered me that you have a temper because it's just part of the job...but when it spills over into personal life...that's when you've crossed the line."

McGee's voice was calm and even. His face was pale, but there was no trace of fear or nerves. Gibbs would almost have preferred it if McGee was yelling and slamming him up against the wall again. He could deal with angry people...he couldn't deal with this quiet and reasonable McGee. The worst part was that McGee was pretty much justified in his assessment.

"Jimmy's going to be on sick leave for the rest of the week," continued McGee. "I'm taking a few days off as well, just while Doctor Oliver has him on bed rest. I trust that won't be a problem?" His tone challenged Gibbs to make an issue of it.

Gibbs shook his head, "That's fine McGee, I'll sort the paperwork."

"Good." McGee paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Jimmy doesn't want to make an official complaint about this, and given his condition, I'm not about to insist that he put himself through the stress that would cause." He looked Gibbs straight in the eye, "But if you lay a hand on him again, I swear to you Gibbs, that I will hurt you." 

Gibbs was silent as McGee turned to Tony. 

"Tony, Jimmy explained to me what's been going on these last few weeks. I would say congratulations, but..." He glanced over at Gibbs before continuing, "I don't know the ins and outs of yours and Gibbs's relationship. That's your business. All I have to say is, don't feel that you have to stay with him just because you're pregnant."

"Hey, just hold on a minute," said Gibbs, indignantly. "This is between me and Tony."

"It stopped being just between you and Tony the second Jimmy got hurt," snapped McGee, before turning back to Tony. "Like I said, being pregnant isn't enough reason to stick with somebody if they're hurting you. I know I'm speaking for Jimmy as well when I say that you won't be on your own."

Tony swallowed hard, "I...I appreciate what you're saying Tim...but...but Gibbs and I," he took Gibbs's hand. "I know we've got some stuff to deal with, but we're not ready to give up on it yet."

McGee nodded, "Somehow I'm not surprised. Take care Tony." He left the room.

Suddenly a little shaky, Tony sat down on a chair. Gibbs sat down with him, their hands still linked. 

"Are you sure you want to try and make this work?" asked Gibbs, gently. "McGee's right, I have a temper...I've used it to my advantage in the marines...on the job...but what if I can't switch it off when it comes to my private life? Maybe you'd be safer away from me..."

Tony leaned against Gibbs, his head on Gibbs's shoulder. "If I wanted 'safe'...I wouldn't have joined N.C.I.S...heck, I'd never have become a cop!"

"That's not the same thing." Gibbs raised Tony's hand to his lips and kissed it. "I want to change, Tony. I don't ever want to see that look of fear on your face and know that I put it there. I'll go to anger management...couples counseling...whatever it takes."

"Lamaze classes?"

"I'll get back to you on that one," said Gibbs with a smile.

----------------------------------

Abby sipped on her caf-pow and said, "Okay, so let me get this straight. Tony is pregnant...Gibbs put Jimmy in the hospital...McGee slammed Gibbs up against a wall and yelled at him..." She took another swig of the drink. "Dammit, I miss all the good stuff!"

"Abby!" said Ziva. She'd been waiting for weeks to be able to tell Abby all the news.

"What?" said Abby, "Come on, this is the first long vacation I've been on in years, and I have to pick a time when everything goes to hell. Man, I wish I'd been here."

"I wish you'd been here too as well," said Ziva. "It was a most unpleasant sequence of events. And the aftermath..." Her voice trailed off and she stared gloomily at the pictures on the wall of Abby's lab.

"What happened afterwards?" 

"Things have been...strained," said Ziva. "Oh we all do our work well enough, but I feel like I am walking on seashells around the others."

Abby took her mouth away from the straw long enough to say, "Eggshells."

Ziva waved her hand dismissively, "Whatever. But these last few weeks...McGee only speaks to Gibbs when it relates to the case on hand." She started counting things off on her fingers, "Gibbs never takes McGee with him anymore...it's always either Tony or me, unless we're all working together. Gibbs hasn't head swatted anybody in weeks. I saw him start to raise his hand to Tony, only he saw McGee watching him so he stopped. And as for Jimmy..."

"What about Jimmy?"

"McGee won't let Gibbs anywhere near him. You should see him at the crime scenes, he's like this big sheepdog keeping Jimmy away from the 'big bad wolf'."

"Now I see Gibbs as more of a silver haired fox, but I get your point."

"And then there's the rubber band. Gibbs has one around his wrist and every so often I see him snapping it. Honestly Abby, it's all a little..."

"Hinky?" suggested Abby.

"I was going to say unsettling...but you're right." Ziva shuddered, "I just hope they sort out their differences soon."

"Me too," said Abby, "Me too."

-------------------------------

But the weeks passed and if anything the situation seemed to get worse instead of better. 

McGee couldn't forgive Gibbs for what he'd done. He kept thinking of how things could have gone...how Jimmy could have lost the baby...maybe even have been seriously injured. 

Gibbs for his part was still a little resentful of the way that McGee had chewed him out. Okay, yes, he admitted that he had deserved it. He had been a loose cannon that day and it was pure luck that he hadn't caused any irreparable damage. But dammit, he was trying his best to make things right. He'd apologized to McGee...he was taking anger management classes...and for the first time in his life, he was voluntarily seeing a therapist. But still McGee looked at him as if he'd gone and pissed in his cereal every morning. Gibbs had bent over backwards to try and make things right, but nothing seemed to change McGee's attitude. 

Tony in the meantime was stuck in the middle. He loved Gibbs, he knew he did. Gibbs was the father of his child. But McGee was his buddy and they'd been through a lot together. He hated the way things were...the constant worrying that he'd make one of them jealous by seeming too friendly with the other. He'd had enough of that sort of thing when his parents had divorced. 

The weeks passed, with both Gibbs and McGee too stubborn to bury the hatchet.

Until one day a sudden bereavement put things in perspective.

--------------------------

To be continued 


	8. Chapter 8

Title:Misconceptions 08?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS - Jimmy got in the middle of a Tony/Gibbs argument and was accidentally pushed into a wall by Gibbs. Although he suffered no serious injury to himself or the baby, McGee was furious with Gibbs. Relationships were strained between Gibbs and McGee as a result. Gibbs felt that although he had been at fault, Jimmy's injury had been an accident. McGee for his part was unwilling to forgive and forget.

The weeks passed, with both Gibbs and McGee too stubborn to bury the hatchet.

Until one day a sudden bereavement put things in perspective.

--------------------------

8

Jimmy whistled happily to himself as he bustled round Autopsy setting things up. The instrument tray was all laid out, just the way Doctor Mallard liked it. All the sample slides and evidence bags were ready...all that was needed was the body.

Jimmy glanced over at the morgue drawers. It would only take him a few minutes to transfer the body to the table, and then everything would be all ready for Doctor Mallard when he got there. 

Jimmy pushed a gurney over to the morgue drawers and pulled one open. He was just about to slide the tray out when he heard a voice behind him.

"Just what do you think you're doing!"

Jimmy spun around quickly, his hand going automatically to his abdomen. "Tim! You startled me!"

McGee repeated his question, "And what do you think you're doing? You know you're not supposed to be moving bodies on your own."

"It's not a heavy one," protested Jimmy. "And I just wanted to get everything ready for Doctor Mallard."

McGee moved over beside him and shut the drawer door. Turning to Jimmy, he kissed him on the lips. "Ducky won't mind you waiting for him to help. You know how good he's been the last few months."

"I know."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Ducky had indeed been most protective of Jimmy, even visiting him at home once he'd been released from the hospital.

"So how are you doing, my boy?" asked Ducky, as he sat across from Jimmy in his and McGee's apartment.

"I'm okay, I guess," said Jimmy, who was sitting on the couch, his feet propped up on a cushion. "Still a little sore in places, but Doctor Oliver said I'd be fine with plenty of rest."

"And I'll be making sure he gets that," said McGee as he brought in a tray. Setting it down on the coffee table, he handed mugs of tea to Jimmy and Ducky before sitting on the arm of the sofa at Jimmy's head.

"I can see that you're looking after him most admirably," said Ducky with a smile. "You're looking a lot better than when I saw you last." He hesitated slightly before continuing, "And everything is okay, I take it?"

Jimmy rested his hand protectively on his abdomen, "Yes. I should be back at work next week, and Doctor Wu said there should be no problem with me working. I can come back sooner if you need me..."

"My boy, your health and that of your baby is much more important," said Ducky reassuringly. "If necessary I can scare up a pathology assistant from Bethesda for a day or two. Doctor Stroller over there owes me a few favors. However," continued Ducky, pausing only to sip his tea. "There will of course have to be a few changes once you return."

He saw the look of worry that appeared on Jimmy's face and the way McGee's hand gripped Jimmy's shoulder protectively.

"Oh there's no need to be alarmed," Ducky added quickly. "It's just some minor issues. Things like absenting yourself when x-rays are being taken, avoiding some of the more noxious chemicals we use. And of course no heavy lifting without assistance. That sort of thing."

"I see," said Jimmy, sipping his tea thoughtfully. "And what about working in the field? I do want to, I mean I do enjoy that part of our work..."

"I think that we'll take that on a case by case basis," said Ducky. "I don't want you falling down any more hills!"

"You'd have to give back your merit badge in hiking then," grinned McGee. "But don't worry Ducky, I'll make sure he wears sensible shoes!"

"Of course there will come a point when it will not longer be practical for you to attend crime scenes," warned Ducky. "As a rule of thumb, I would say that once you are unable to stand without being pulled up...well that might be a good time to start limiting your participation."

"Thank you, Doctor Mallard," said Jimmy. "You...you've been more than accommodating...I...I'm just sorry I didn't tell you sooner..." To his horror, Jimmy could feel tears pricking at his eyes and he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I...I'm sorry...I just can't seem to..."

"It's quite all right, Jimmy," said Ducky, gently. "You've been through a nasty experience...your hormones are all over the place. It's perfectly natural."

"I know...I know..."

-----------

"Thank you for visiting, Ducky," said McGee as he handed Ducky his coat a little later. Jimmy had retired to bed for a nap after nearly falling asleep during the conversation.

"It was my pleasure," replied Ducky. He hesitated a little before continuing, "Timothy, I wanted to speak to you in private...about Gibbs."

McGee's eyes narrowed, "I have nothing to say about him. Jimmy's not making a formal complaint...that's the end of it as far as I'm concerned."

"You do know that he would never have knowingly raised a hand to Jimmy?"

"And what about Tony? He certainly raised his hand to him...look Ducky, before this happened, I'd have been the first to agree that Gibbs wouldn't strike anybody like that. But now...now I'm starting to wonder...what exactly did he do to make two of his wives physically attack him. You can't try to tell me that he's some sort of victim who attracts physically abusive women. To me...to me it just seems like maybe they were getting their own back or something." McGee looked away uncomfortably. He didn't like saying that...he didn't even like thinking that way about a man that he had respected more than any other...but the facts were there. Gibbs had raised a hand to Tony...he had been in volatile relationships...even the slaps on the head that he doled out on a regular basis were starting to look more sinister in nature.  
"Ducky, I know he's your friend...but...but I don't want him anywhere near Jimmy. I'm sorry."

Ducky patted McGee on the arm, "I fully appreciate your situation, Timothy. Your instinct is to protect your loved ones...it's most admirable. But something you should be aware of before you condemn Jethro out of hand. It's true that I've treated him on a number of occasions following altercations with his wives...but on many of those occasions, Jethro's only injuries were to his knuckles..."

McGee opened his mouth to say something but Ducky continued, "And most of those injuries were consistent with those that would be obtained when punching a wall at point blank range. Gibbs is not in the habit of assaulting people unnecessarily." Ducky picked up his hat and put it on. "I understand your concerns, and I'll do what I can to keep Jimmy out of harms way...and I don't mean just from Gibbs."

- - - - - - - - - -

And Ducky had kept to his word. It sometimes irked Jimmy the way that Doctor Mallard seemed to hover protectively over him, and wouldn't let him lift anything heavier than a femur without assistance, but he knew that it was a sign of how much his boss cared. And if he resented sometimes having to stay in the van when a body was located in a particularly precarious setting, well that was just something he had to get used to.

One thing Jimmy couldn't get used to was the way people were looking at him now. It wasn't just him being pregnant that was drawing glances...there were all these rumors that had been floating round since...since the incident.

Since nobody was saying anything about the incident...officially...the staff at N.C.I.S. had naturally filled in the gaps themselves. After all, it wasn't everyday that one of Doctor Mallard's assistants got carted off in an ambulance...that only happened every few years. The scuttlebutt varied from 'Jimmy Palmer getting into a fist fight with Tony' to 'Gibbs swatting Jimmy on the head and overdoing it', there was even a rumor that Palmer had caught DiNozzo and Gibbs getting it on in the storage closet and had fainted clean away with shock'.

Ziva had freely admitted to spreading that last one around, figuring that the juicier the rumor, the more likely it was to be believed, "And if you don't want the truth to be known then you need to lie big," she had told Jimmy. 

So things at N.C.I.S. had pretty much returned to normal as far as Jimmy was concerned. He just wished it was the same for Tim. Although he hadn't said anything, Jimmy knew that things were a little strained between Tim and Gibbs. But every time he tried to bring up the subject, Tim just brushed it aside. Jimmy worried that the growing coolness between the two agents would affect their work, but he couldn't see any way to fixing it. And if truth be told, he was hoping that if left long enough then they'd both come to their senses. 

So the weeks passed and Jimmy started filling out a bit. He was lucky to be able to wear scrub tops most of the time. While not exactly the most flattering of clothing, they at least had the advantage of being comfortable and practical and didn't draw attention to the small bulge of his abdomen.

Tony had been less fortunate and spent many an hour down in Autopsy bemoaning the fact that his favorite designers didn't do a wide enough range in m-pregnancy wear. 

But pregnancy wise, by twenty weeks that was the worst that either of them had been having to deal with.

Well, apart from Tim's overprotective streak thought Jimmy as he faced down his lover.

"Look, if you don't want me lifting it, then how about helping me," said Jimmy. "It's really not that heavy...a fire burned away most of the flesh, so it's pretty much just bones...a little sinews here and there." He grinned evilly at the queasy expression that came over McGee's face. 

"Um, I think I'll pass. I uh, just came down to let you know that Tony and I are heading out to do interviews. Ziva's at the dentist..."

"So Gibbs is on his own," finished Jimmy. "I'll be fine, Doctor Mallard will be here soon, and if Gibbs shows up before then...well, I'll hide in one of the drawers until he goes away." He grinned mischievously.

"Don't even joke about that," said McGee. "You could get locked in by accident. Look, I'll wait here until Ducky shows up."

"Tim!" There was a note of exasperation in his voice. "I'll be fine." He looked at his watch, "Doctor Mallard is just running a little late. If he's not here soon then I'll phone him, but I'll be fine on my own. Don't worry." He kissed McGee on the cheek. "You worry too much."

"I know," said McGee sighing, "I just..."

"Just go and do your job, and I'll do mine."

Jimmy watched as McGee reluctantly left. He glanced at his watch again. It really wasn't like Doctor Mallard to be late. In fact, Jimmy could count on one hand the number of times that he had arrived at Autopsy before his boss. He looked at the clock on the wall and wondered whether he should phone him or not. 

Half an hour later, Jimmy was starting to get really worried. Doctor Mallard was never ever this late. He was just about to pick up the phone when it rang.

"N.C.I.S. morgue, can I help you?" said Jimmy. 

"Ah Jimmy." He heard Ducky's voice on the line.

"Doctor Mallard, I was just about to call you. Everything's almost set up for the John Doe autopsy."

"Ah yes...I'm afraid I won't be able to perform that one today. You see..." Ducky's voice seemed to crack a bit before he steadied it. "You see, Mother...Mother didn't wake up this morning."

----------------------

To be continued 


	9. Chapter 9

Title:Misconceptions Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS - McGee and Gibbs hadn't been on good terms since Jimmy's 'accident', and Tony felt stuck in the middle. Jimmy was setting up for an Autopsy when he got a phone call from Ducky.

"Doctor Mallard, I was just about to call you. Everything's almost set up for the John Doe autopsy."

"Ah yes...I'm afraid I won't be able to perform that one today. You see..." Ducky's voice seemed to crack a bit before he steadied it. "You see, Mother...Mother didn't wake up this morning."

----------------------

9

McGee stood by the side of the car waiting impatiently. "Hurry up, Tony," he called, a note of exasperation in his voice.

Tony emerged from behind the tree zipping himself up. "Take it easy," he said, as he took the pack of hand wipes from McGee. "It's not my fault I couldn't hold it. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda pregnant. You know, the whole dealie with a baby pressing on my bladder."

"Just get in the car, we're going to be late."

"I hope you don't speak to Jimmy this way," grumbled Tony as he sat back in the passenger seat and strapped himself in.

"Jimmy has sense enough to use the head before setting out on a car journey," said McGee as he pulled back out into the traffic. 

"Yeah, whatever," said Tony, as he reached around to the back seat and grabbed a bag of potato chips from his backpack. 

"And he has sense enough not to be stuffing himself with junk food all the time."

Tony shot him an indignant look. "Just for that, I'm not sharing," he said as he crammed a handful of chips in his mouth. "Besides," he added, "I'm eating for two now...have to keep my strength up." He patted his stomach and belched loudly. 

"Well it hasn't improved your table manners!"

"And you really should try to cut down on all the junk food. You have to think about your cholesterol levels. Jimmy eats at least six portions of fruit or vegetables a day," added McGee, a trifle smugly.

Tony chomped down another mouthful of chips and wisely refrained from mentioning the stash of donuts and other tasty sweet things that Abby had stored in her lab for the benefit of two pregnant guys with sugar cravings. Most days either he or Jimmy or both of them managed to sneak away from their respective watchdogs and deplete the stash a little further. 

Tony did occasionally feel a little guilty about sneaking away to Abby's lab so often. It wasn't just the donuts that attracted him...Abby's lab was one of the few places he could truly relax. Any time he spent in the bullpen...or to be more accurate, any time he spent in the company of both Gibbs and McGee...it felt like he was walking a tightrope...trying not to offend or upset either of them, at least that was what he had told Doctor Jackson in one of his solo therapy sessions.

"Have you tried talking to either of them about it?" asked Jackson.

Tony shrugged, "Every time I mention Gibbs's name in front of McGee...it's like he clams up. He'll change the subject to anything rather than talk about him...unless it's job related. And Jethro..." Tony fell silent.

"What about Jethro?" prompted Jackson when she felt the silence had gone on too long.

Tony shifted uncomfortably on the couch, "We sort of don't talk about stuff like that..." 

"What sort of things do you talk about?"

"Anything...everything...except what happened to Jimmy." Tony's hands automatically strayed to his abdomen.

"Have you talked about his reaction to when you told him you were pregnant?"

"I...no...we sort of..." Tony sighed, "Gibbs hasn't brought it up...and...and I guess I've just been afraid to..." He half curled up on the couch, wrapping his arms protectively around him, "I mean, I just feel...we're together now...the baby's coming...I don't..." He hesitated for a few seconds before continuing, "We were at my place last week, and we talked about getting stuff for my spare room...to make it into a nursery. And...and then we went to his place, and Gibbs was saying about putting a lock on the basement door, and maybe getting stair gates and things...and he was going on about how we'd have to start spending more time at my place because he wasn't going to carry me up the stairs anymore and then I teased him about having too many steps in his house and he teased me back, and the next thing I knew we were doing it right there in the hallway...and it's been so long since we were able to just let it go and have fun and I wasn't worrying about whether I was gonna say the wrong thing and watch him shut me out again." Tony took a deep breath before continuing, "And I love him so much it hurts...but I just can't talk to him about the important stuff...because I'm afraid he's gonna change his mind and walk out on me because he doesn't trust me, so I'm keeping my mouth shut cause I'm scared..." Tony lay there breathing heavily for a few minutes.

Doctor Jackson let him take his time getting his emotions under control. She knew from experience - both with Tony and other patients - that if she pushed him too hard he'd just clam up. He had to tell her these things at his own pace.

Tony looked up at the Doctor, "I suppose you think I'm a total coward," he said finally.

"No, Tony, I don't think that at all." Jackson chose her words carefully, "I do think that you're doing your best to protect yourself and your child. Your instinct is to shield it from any pain...you don't want to rock the boat." She looked at her notes. "Have you thought any more about settling the paternity issue once and for all? Gibbs could have a test to see if the vasectomy was successful or not..."

Tony shook his head, "Gibbs was right...this isn't about a piece of paper that tells him I'm not lying...this is about whether he believes me...whether he trusts me or not. If it takes a lab test to prove I'm not lying, then we've got no future." Tony looked away, "Not that I'm sure we have a future anyway..."

Tony stared out the window as McGee drove. The therapy sessions had helped somewhat with his relationship with Gibbs. What still was a problem was the balancing act between Gibbs and McGee. Tony hated being in the middle...although at least Gibbs and McGee didn't yell and throw things like his mother...or crawl into a bottle like his father. And at least he had Abby to go to when things got too much for him on the job. And speaking of too much...

"Pull over," ordered Tony. 

"What, again? That's it, no more soda for you until we're back at headquarters!"

-----------------------

Tony zipped himself up and returned to the car. If truth be told, he hadn't really needed to go again...he just liked yanking McGee's chain every so often.

"What's up?" he asked, seeing the worried expression on McGee's face.

"I don't know," said McGee. "I was trying to call Jimmy...see if Ducky had shown up yet...but his cell's switched off and nobody's answering in Autopsy."

Tony fell a twinge of envy. He couldn't imagine Gibbs getting all worked up if he didn't answer his phone. Okay, maybe if he was undercover or tracking down bad guys. But if Tony didn't answer his phone while he was tucked up at N.C.I.S. Headquarters, then Gibbs would more than likely just swat him silly. To be fair, Tony told himself, that was just Gibbs being Gibbs. And Gibbs knew that Tony was well able to take care of himself, and didn't need to be hovered over like a babe in arms. Sometimes Tony wished he wasn't so self-reliant...it'd be nice to just relax and be taken care of. 

He'd said as much to Doctor Jackson...okay, he hadn't meant to say it, but she'd kept on encouraging him to speak his mind and so he'd told her...told her how he'd been pretty much self reliant since he was a kid...since his parents had divorced...since his father had crawled into a bottle and his mother into bed with a string of men in search of a new rich husband. 

Tony had looked up at Jackson and said, "I know what you're thinking...you're thinking that I want Gibbs to be a surrogate father because my relationship with my own father was so messed up...but it's not true, I love him for him...age has nothing to do with it...has he said anything like that to you?"

But Doctor Jackson had told him that unless something came up during a joint session she couldn't discuss it with him. It hadn't been until one of their joint sessions a few weeks later that Tony had gotten so fed up and depressed that he had finally blurted out to Gibbs "I'm afraid you're gonna leave me...like my father did...and I'll be dealing with all this shit alone..." He had regretted the words the moment he'd said them and had tried to leave the room immediately. 

But Gibbs's hand had fallen on his shoulder and turned him around, and Gibbs had been there and saying "How can you think that I'd just walk away? Doesn't all this..." he gestured around at the office. "Counseling, therapy...fixing up our places for the kid...doesn't it prove I'm not about to just walk out. I take my responsibilities seriously."

Tony had pushed Gibbs away, "I don't want to be just a 'responsibility' to you...I don't want you to feel you have to stay just because of some misguided sense of duty to some guy who got knocked up while sleeping with you. I don't...I just want you..." 

He allowed himself to be enveloped in Gibbs's arms "You do have me," said Gibbs, gently. "I wish I could say we'll be together forever...but you and I both know that's an impossible promise. I've told three women we'd spend the rest of our lives together...and look how that turned out." There was a long pause before Gibbs continued, "But what I can tell you is that I intend to be around for the foreseeable future...I'm not going to lie and tell you everything's gonna run smoothly, I'm not gonna tell you it'll be forever...but I am not going to abandon you and your...you and our child..." 

Tony looked up at Gibbs in delight. "You mean..."

"I mean is that this baby is definitely yours...and for that reason alone then it'd be part of me too...whatever else happens, I believe that...and I believe you've never lied to me...ever...and I'm just sorry it took me so long to understand that. Can you forgive me for being such a stubborn pig-headed old fool to have ever doubted you?"

"Oh Gibbs..." Tony's reaction said it all as he fell into Gibbs's arms and let the older man hold him safely. 

- - - - - - - -

Tony clapped McGee on the back, "If Ducky's late then Jimmy's probably just visiting with Abby."

"Maybe I should try her cell." McGee started to dial but Tony grabbed the cell phone from him.

"I thought you said we were gonna be late? Come on, Jimmy's a big boy now and I'm sure Abby will take care of him. He might end up with his nails painted black again if he falls asleep on her, but apart from that, I'm sure he's good."

-----------------------

Jimmy however was feeling anything but good as he punched the button on the elevator. Doctor Mallard had sounded so calm on the phone even as he'd described getting concerned when he hadn't heard his mother snoring that morning. His voice hadn't trembled even as he'd told Jimmy how he'd gone in to check on her and found her cold. The only tremor had been when he'd mentioned making 'arrangements'. Then he'd rallied and told Jimmy to contact Doctor Stroller at Bethesda if there were any urgent autopsy requirements.

Jimmy had promised to do so, and had also offered to let the appropriate people know at N.C.I.S.

"Thank you, Jimmy," Doctor Mallard had said. "I...I do appreciate your assistance."

"Of course, Doctor Mallard," said Jimmy. "Is...is there anything I can do?"

"I believe there's a report on my desk that needs to be forwarded to the District Attorney's office. All the information, where to send it, should be in my notes."

"Yes Sir, but...but I meant for you...personally."

"I...I'm sure I will be able to see to the necessary arra...arrangements."

"Of course...and Doctor Mallard, I'm so, so sorry for your loss."

Jimmy hung up the phone and looked around Autopsy. The John Doe he'd been intending to set up for autopsy was part of a cold case being reinvestigated. A few more days wouldn't hurt it. There was nothing especially time sensitive...at least nothing that couldn't wait until the appropriate people had been notified. He glanced at the phone, but realized that there was some news that should be delivered in person. Tossing his scrub cap in the used linen bin Jimmy headed for the elevator.

"Start at the top," he muttered to himself as he pressed the button for the Director's level.

The elevator slowed to a stop. Jimmy frowned as the display panel indicated a level below where he'd intended. And then the doors opened at the bullpen level...with Gibbs standing in front of them.

---------------------

To be continued 


	10. Chapter 10

Title:Misconceptions 10?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS.  
Relations were still strained between McGee and Gibbs following the altercation which had left Jimmy injured. Tony felt caught in the middle, but his relationship with Gibbs was a little more stable as a result of counseling. Jimmy was setting up for an Autopsy when Ducky phoned with the news that Mrs. Mallard had just died.

-----------------------------

"Start at the top," he muttered to himself as he pressed the button for the Director's level.

The elevator slowed to a stop. Jimmy frowned as the display panel indicated a level below where he'd intended. And then the doors opened at the bullpen level...with Gibbs standing in front of them. 

---------------------

10

Gibbs punched the elevator call button...hard. He cursed under his breath as the doors failed to open, even as he plucked at the rubber band around his wrist. Today was not being a good day. The case his team was working on had hit a dead end. He'd sent Tony and McGee out to re-interview some potential leads, but at this point he didn't hold out much hope for a breakthrough. He'd just been notified that one of the dirtbags he'd put away a few years ago was filing an appeal and the Prosecution wanted to re-interview him. There was a mountain of paperwork on his desk, including an application for parental leave that he was going to have to file before too long. All in all, things weren't going the best, and there was a welt on his wrist from where he'd been snapping his rubber band. 

Finally the elevator doors opened. Gibbs was about to step inside when he saw the occupant. The rubber band broke.

"Ag...Agent Gibbs!" stammered Jimmy when the doors had opened. He automatically stepped aside, to leave space for Gibbs to enter the elevator car.

"I'll wait for the next one," said Gibbs. 

"I...I...Doctor Mallard's mother died," blurted out Jimmy, just as the doors started to close.

Gibbs stuck his hand in them, forcing them to open again.

"When?" he barked.

"I...he...she..." Jimmy took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. After a few seconds he managed to get himself under control and said calmly, "Doctor Mallard phoned a few minutes ago...he said it must have happened during the night. I was just going to inform the Director."

"Cause of death?" asked Gibbs, automatically.

"I couldn't say without seeing the body," answered Jimmy, instinctively. He blushed a little as he saw a slight smile appear on Gibbs's face. "I...I didn't mean...I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, force of habit."

"You're sounding more like Ducky every day."

"Thank you," said Jimmy, quietly. He took a few seconds to collect his thoughts. "Doctor Mallard seemed to think it might have been a heart attack...or maybe it was just old age. He...he said she seemed very...peaceful." Jimmy sighed, "She was a lovely woman."

"That she was," said Gibbs, as he finally stepped into the car. Jimmy looked at him a little warily as he added, "I have to see the Director as well."

Gibbs hit the button for the Director's level.

"Oh, I already did that, Agent Gibbs..." Jimmy's voice trailed off as Gibbs glanced in his direction. He kept silent for a few seconds...just as long as it took for the elevator car to come to a screeching halt...and the lights to go out.

----------------------

"Agent Gibbs?" Jimmy's voice had a note of fear in it.

"It's okay, Palmer," said Gibbs, "Emergency lights sometimes take a few seconds to come on..." The lights came on just as he finished talking. "What did I tell you?" He turned round to see that Palmer was looking pale...and not just the way most people looked under the emergency lighting. "Hey, you okay there?" he asked.

"I...I...we...we've stopped moving..." stammered Jimmy, "Why...why aren't we moving?"

"Could be a power outage," said Gibbs. "Emergency generators should kick in, won't be more than a few minutes."

Jimmy backed himself into the corner of the car, his hands clutching tightly at the safety rails. 

Gibbs looked at him for a few seconds before grabbing the emergency phone. "This is Special Agent Gibbs. I'm in Elevator C, stuck between floors. What the hell's going on"  
He listened for a few seconds before continuing, "Two people, me and Jimmy Palmer, Autopsy Technician"  
"No, that's not an option"  
"Well how long do you think it will take?"

Gibbs finally slammed the phone back into its slot, making Jimmy jump. "Stupid morons," he growled. "Somebody flipped the wrong switch when they were testing the backup generators. Took half the building offline. Now they have to reset the whole thing manually." He waved his hand dismissively. "Could take them a couple of hours."

"So...so we're trapped?"

"Unless we want to try climbing through the ceiling hatch which is what that idiot suggested."

"You...you could get out that way..."

Gibbs noticed how Jimmy was shaking and he said gently, "Do you really think I'd just climb out and leave you here, Jimmy?"

Jimmy shook his head; his breathing was starting to become more rapid.

"I think you should probably sit down," said Gibbs. He took off his jacket and draped it on the ground. "Here, let me help..." 

Jimmy took Gibbs's outstretched hand and allowed himself to be helped to a sitting position. Gibbs sat down beside him. "Just take nice and gentle breaths," he said slowly. "In and out, that's it Jimmy, in and out. Think of being in a nice quiet, safe place. Some little corner that's yours and yours alone...just focus on that spot and breath in...and out..."

It took a few minutes, but finally Jimmy started to calm down a little.

"So how long have you been claustrophobic?" asked Gibbs.

Jimmy wrapped his arms around his knees. "Since I was a kid...my brother...one day he found a key that fit our bedroom door...he thought it'd be neat...he thought it'd be fun to lock our Mom out..." He started shaking again. "Only when she called us for supper...and he tried to unlock the door and the key broke and...and I thought we'd be stuck there forever...I thought we'd never get out...and we were on the tenth floor..." 

Gibbs put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine, Jimmy. It might take an hour or so, but they will get us out. I give you my word."

"I...I...thank you, Agent Gibbs," said Jimmy, starting to calm down just a little. 

"Jimmy, there's something I've been meaning to say to you, ever since...well ever since I hurt you." Gibbs took a deep breath, "I am sorry for losing my temper that day...sorrier than you'll ever know. And to have lashed out at you like that, regardless of your condition...that was just unforgivable on my part. I know that I'm a moody bastard, I know that my temper has gotten me into more trouble than I care to remember, and I'm just sorry that you were caught in the middle." Gibbs took a deep breath before continuing, "If I had hurt you...or your baby...I'd never have forgiven myself. I know I should have said this to you sooner, but..."

"It's okay, Agent Gibbs," interrupted Jimmy. "I'm fine...the baby's fine...I know you didn't mean to hurt me..."

It was Gibbs's turn to interrupt, "And I would never have hurt Tony either. I need you to believe that."

"I do believe it," said Jimmy. "I've seen you with Tony...when you think nobody's watching...there's no way you would have laid a hand on him in anger. I..." Jimmy gasped suddenly, clutching his belly. 

"Is something wrong?" asked Gibbs.

"No," said Jimmy, a smile of delight on his face. "Everything's fine...it's just that Junior's on the move again!" He saw the look of awe on Gibbs's face. "Would you like to feel, Agent Gibbs?"

"I...may I?" 

Jimmy nodded, and took Gibbs's hand, placing it on his abdomen. "You might have to wait a bit...wait, there it is..."

"Thank you Jimmy," said Gibbs, softly. "And I think...I think you should probably start calling me Gibbs."

---------------------------

"I should never have gotten in the car with you," grumbled Gibbs an hour or so later.

"Why's that?"

"It's bad luck...getting in an elevator car with somebody pregnant. That or a taxi. Don't you watch the movies? Any time somebody pregnant gets in an elevator, they almost always end up giving birth."

"I'll be sure to remember it next time," said Jimmy. He looked at his watch again, "Do you think they'll be much longer?"

"Don't think so...you want to try your breathing exercises again?" 

"No, I'm fine. I didn't know you and Tony had started Lamaze already."

"We...we haven't," said Gibbs. "I had a book...I bought a few books on it, figured it'd be less embarrassing than sitting in a room full of pregnant guys listening to somebody tell me how to breathe. Besides, DiNozzo learns best from me."

"I'm sure he does." Jimmy was about to say more when the emergency lights flicked off...but before he could get worried, the normal lights came on and the elevator started moving. "We're moving!" he said, delightedly.

"Yes Jimmy, I had noticed," grinned Gibbs. He stood up and reached out to give Jimmy a hand.

"I can manage," said Jimmy, trying to push himself up.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Ducky you needed to be pulled up...we'll be needing you out in the field for a little while yet." 

The grin faded off Jimmy's face as he took Gibbs's hands and stood, "How could I forget," he said, glumly. His legs were stiff from sitting so long and he stumbled slightly.

Gibbs caught him, "It's okay, Jimmy," said Gibbs, his arm around Jimmy as the elevator came to a stop. 

The doors opened to reveal a crowd of worried faces. Abby's, Ziva's, Tony's...and McGee's.

The expression on McGee's face changed to anger as he saw the pair.

--------------------

To be continued 


	11. Chapter 11

Title:Misconceptions 11?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: N/A Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS Gibbs's and McGee's relationship was strained following Jimmy's accident.  
Mrs. Mallard died, and Jimmy was on his way to inform the Director when he got stuck in the elevator with Gibbs.

The grin faded off Jimmy's face as he took Gibbs's hands and stood, "How could I forget," he said, glumly. His legs were stiff from sitting so long and he stumbled slightly.

Gibbs caught him, "It's okay, Jimmy," said Gibbs, his arm around Jimmy as the elevator came to a stop. 

The doors opened to reveal a crowd of worried faces. Abby's, Ziva's, Tony's...and McGee's.  
The expression on McGee's face changed to anger as he saw the pair.

--------------------

11

"What the hell's going on?" said McGee, his face like thunder. "Get your hands off him, Gibbs"  
McGee couldn't believe it. He'd been standing outside the elevator for what seemed like hours waiting for it to start running again. Knowing the way Jimmy felt about being trapped in small spaces, there had been all sorts of scenarios running through his mind. The only thing worse than the thought of Jimmy being trapped...was the thought of him being trapped with Gibbs. The last time Gibbs and Jimmy had been in the same space, one of them had ended up in hospital, and if Gibbs had so much as breathed too heavily on Jimmy, by God he'd pay for it. 

When he heard the sound of the elevator car moving, McGee breathed a silent sigh of relief. The worst was over...only a little while longer and Jimmy would be safe. The doors opened, but McGee's greeting died on his lips as he saw Jimmy, looking a little pale and shaky...and with Gibbs's arm around him. "What did you do to him, Gibbs?" McGee asked accusingly.

"It's okay, Tim," said Jimmy quickly. "It...it's not what it looks like..."

"What the hell happened in there...are you all right?" McGee practically snatched Jimmy away from Gibbs, one arm going protectively around his lover, the other cupping Jimmy's face.

"I'm fine, Tim," said Jimmy. "Thanks to Gibbs...if he hadn't been there...if I'd been stuck in the elevator on my own...I'd have panicked...you know what I'm like..." He squeezed McGee's hand gently. "Everything's okay."

McGee shot a look at Gibbs, "I suppose I should thank you for looking after Jimmy," he said, stiffly.

"Don't bother," snapped Gibbs.

"Okay guys, time out," said Abby, making a big T with her hands as she stepped into the middle. "Enough is enough, you guys have been giving each other the cold shoulder routine for months now and we're all sick of it."

Ziva mumbled something indecipherable.

"What?" said Tony.

"She said they're behaving like a pair of angry dogs who keep marking their territory...and she's right. You two have been behaving like children and Tony and Jimmy are getting caught in the middle. This is supposed to be one of the happiest times of their lives, and you guys are messing it all up because of this stupid little squabble."

"Abby," Gibbs started to say, but Abby wouldn't let him finish.

"No Gibbs," said Abby. "This ends now. Either you both shake hands and start behaving like civilized adults from her on in...or..."

"Or what, Abs?" asked McGee.

"Or I'm getting Ziva to push you both in the elevator car and I'll cut the power until you're speaking to each other again."

"Abby," protested Gibbs, "We don't have time for this...Ducky's mother just died..."

"I know, Gibbs and that's why we don't not have time for it," replied Abby. "Ducky's gonna need us and we need to all pull together...for his sake." She stood there, arms folded, tapping her foot impatiently.

Gibbs sighed, knowing that Abby was about the only person in the world who he couldn't win an argument with.  
Reluctantly he held out his hand, "McGee..."

Jimmy squeezed McGee gently on the arm and half pushed him towards Gibbs's outstretched hand.

"Gibbs," said McGee as they joined hands. 

"McGee...I want to say again...how sorry I am about what happened with Jimmy...I understand completely why you're angry over it. If it had been Tony...if anybody had laid a hand on him, pregnant or not...I'd have been just as angry." Gibbs was looking McGee straight in the eye and didn't see the flash of delight that appeared on Tony's face. "What I did was uncalled for, I should never have lost control like that. I am so sorry that Jimmy got hurt as a result."

"I know," said McGee, "And I accept your apology...and...and I should have accepted it a long time ago. It's my fault that things have been strained." He looked around at Tony and Jimmy and added, "I'm sorry guys..."

There was a small ripple of applause from the group as the two shook hands. 

"Now hug," said Abby.

"Abby!" McGee glared at Abby and then looked back at Gibbs who shrugged and opened his arms. The hug was a little awkward at first but felt oddly reassuring to both men.

Abby nodded approvingly, "Now grab his ass, Gibbs, and McGee, slip him some tongue."

"ABBY!" said everybody, except Ziva, who was still unable to speak clearly following her visit to the dentist.

"What?" shrugged Abby, "It was worth a try!"

Gibbs and McGee hurriedly broke contact and took a step back. 

"I have to see the Director," said Jimmy. "To tell her about...about Mrs. Mallard."

"We know," said McGee, wrapping his arm around Jimmy and hugging him close.

"But how?"

"I was in my lab when the power went," said Abby. "First I thought I'd blown a fuse cause I was trying to see if I could increase my CPU time by linking..." she saw Gibbs's face and quickly continued, "anyway, when the power stayed off, I figured I'd better check in with you guys. I knew where Tony, McGee and Ziva were, and Gibbs can take care of himself."

"Gee thanks, Abby," grunted Gibbs.

"Anyway, " continued Abby. "Nobody was answering down in Autopsy so I tried Ducky's mobile. Boy, I felt really bad when he told me what had happened." For a second, even Abby's pigtails looked a little less perky. "So when I'd finished talking to Ducky, I tried Jimmy's mobile and that wasn't getting me anywhere, so I grabbed my flashlight and went Palmer hunting." She squeezed Jimmy's arm. "Didn't want you getting lost."

"Mmfhphhghg," said Ziva. The men looked at her blankly and she growled with frustration, wishing the local anesthetic would wear off soon. Next time she vowed she'd just tell the dentist to go ahead without it. "Abmhy!"

"Ziva showed up when I was in the stairwell," translated Abby. "We checked with maintenance and they said some agent had used the emergency phone to say he was trapped in the elevator with a pregnant guy, and when they mentioned how pissed he was, I figured it had to be you and Jimmy. So we've been waiting here for you to get out."

"We got back about ten minutes ago," explained Tony. "They'd just got the power back on. Probie here," he clapped McGee on the back, "was all set to climb down the elevator shaft..."

"But the maintenance guy said they'd have the elevator running in a matter of minutes," added Abby. 

"So we waited," said McGee, still not letting Jimmy go. 

"So what are you still waiting for?" said Gibbs. "Get back to work, now!"

"Guess things are back to normal," said Tony with a grin.

"Not quite," said Jimmy, sadly. 

"Yeah," said Tony, his grin fading slightly. 

---------------------------

Ducky was possibly the only person surprised by the numbers that turned out for his mother's funeral. "One of the penalties of living to ninety eight years of age," he had observed to Abby as she sat next to him in the front row. "One tends to outlive most of ones friends and acquaintances. I really didn't think there'd be so many people."

Abby patted him on the hand, "They're here for you Ducky, all these people...I know some of them knew your mother as well, but most of them...they're here for you...and so are we." 

It wasn't just friends and colleagues that had shown up. There were a number of relatives from both sides of Ducky's family tree. But as far as Ducky was concerned, the closest family he had now were the six young people who had sat with him during the service and then traveled with him as he escorted his mother one final time.

"Cremation?" Ziva had asked Ducky when he'd announced the funeral plans. "I did not think it was quite as...traditional."

"It was one of Mother's last requests...back when she was still lucid for most of the time. She'd had my father cremated many years ago...and one of her last requests was to be reunited with him...on this plane as well as the next."

-----------------------

After the short ceremony at the crematorium, Ducky had requested that Gibbs and his team, together with Abby and Jimmy, accompany him back to his house.

"It's very dark in here," commented Ziva, as Ducky disappeared into the kitchen to put the kettle on. 

"It's traditional," said Gibbs. "Close the drapes when somebody dies...don't open them again until after the burial...or in this case, cremation."

The gathering started off as quite a somber occasion, but as usual with Gibbs's team, it didn't stay that way for long.

"And then she tells Kate to show her, her knickers," said Tony, laughing through a mouthful of sandwich. "Something about knowing her intentions from the type of underwear she had on."

"I can see that Mrs. Mallard was definitely your kind of woman, Tony," said Ziva.

"She's just lucky she didn't ask Tony to show his underwear," said Gibbs.

"Why's that, Gibbs?" asked Jimmy.

Gibbs shrugged, "Cause there's a fifty-fifty chance he wouldn't have been wearing any!"

"Hey," said Tony, with mock indignation. "I resent that remark" He took another bite of his sandwich and said with his mouth full, "It's more like sixty-forty...we Italian Gigolo furniture moves have a reputation to uphold!"

Abby moved a little closer to Ducky, "How're you holding up, Duck man?" she asked him softly. "I can tone things down a little if you'd like."

Ducky patted her gently on the arm, "My dear, it does me good to know that my mother will be well remembered, even after I'll no longer be around."

"Oh don't say that Ducky, you'll be here for a long time yet," said Abby firmly.

Ducky just smiled sadly at her.

-------------------- 

"So what are you gonna do now, Ducky?" asked Gibbs as they were all helping clean up.

"Well the dogs will have to be fed," said Ducky, "And I'll have to make a start on sorting through Mother's things. You know she was an incessant hoarder."

"You know that's not what I meant," said Gibbs. He patted Ducky on the arm. "I've spoken to Jen, and she's offered you as much compassionate leave as you want to take. Your job will still be there when you come back, no matter how much time you need to take off."

"Please tell her that her offer is most appreciated," said Ducky. "However, I'm not sure that I'll be taking advantage of it."

"You should take some time, Ducky. Going back to work too soon after a death in the family...it's not a good idea."

"Oh you misunderstand me, Jethro. I meant that I don't think I shall be returning to N.C.I.S. at all."

There was a loud crash as Jimmy dropped the cup he'd been holding.

-----------------------

To be continued 


	12. Chapter 12

Title:Misconceptions 12?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Tony's having Gibbs's baby, Jimmy is having McGee's. Ducky's mother died and the team attended her funeral and then had a wake back at Ducky's house.

"You should take some time, Ducky. Going back to work too soon after a death in the family...it's not a good idea."

"Oh you misunderstand me, Jethro. I meant that I don't think I shall be returning to N.C.I.S. at all."

There was a loud crash as Jimmy dropped the cup he'd been holding.

-----------------------

12

"You...you're leaving..." Jimmy's face was pale as McGee quickly ushered him to a chair.

"I'm sorry to have broken the news to you so suddenly, Jimmy," said Ducky. "But I've been at N.C.I.S. for a long time now. With Mother's health being so bad in recent years...I felt I needed the stability it brought. But now I feel it's time for me to resume some of my travels. Mother used to love hearing about the many places I visited, but I was never able to bring her with me. Now...now I will." He could see his guests exchanging glances. "Of course I shall have to find homes for the dogs. My neighbors have agreed to adopt some of them, but they don't really have the space for the whole brood." 

Ducky could see Tony's face light up as he turned towards Gibbs, "Jethro, you've got a big house..."

"Not that big," growled Gibbs. "Besides, in case you've forgotten, there's going to be a baby in the place in a few more months...you really want dogs as well?" He turned to Ducky, "No offence Ducky, but I've heard of too many cases where pets didn't take too kindly to a new additions to the family."

"Oh it's quite alright, Jethro," said Ducky. "Why I could tell you any number of similar tales."

The conversation moved on and the subject of Ducky's resignation didn't come up again until he was bidding his guests farewell.

"I...I'm going to miss you, Doctor Mallard," said Jimmy, as he and McGee were leaving.

"I know, my boy," said Ducky. "I know. But I won't be leaving immediately. It'll take time to sort things out, make plans. But rest assured, I shall make sure that whoever my replacement is." Ducky reached out and patted Jimmy on the shoulder, "He or she will be made very well aware of just what a gem of an assistant they'll have in you."

Jimmy managed to hold it together until later that night. Curled up in bed, McGee's arms around him protectively, he lay there and wept for Mrs. Mallard, whom he had always been very fond of, and for Ducky, whom he loved and respected as if he were his father.

"He's not going to be gone forever," said McGee, wishing he knew the right words to help Jimmy. It tore him up inside to see Jimmy hurting like this and to not be able to make the pain go away.

"I know...I know," said Jimmy, brushing the tears from his eyes. "It just...so much has happened...so much has changed in the last year or so. I just always thought that no matter what else changed...that Doctor Mallard would always be there..."

"He'll be back," predicted McGee confidently. "He said he was going to start off on a few short trips. And he promised he'd definitely be back when the babies are due."

"It won't be the same." 

All McGee could do in response was to hold Jimmy closer.

-----------------------

Several miles away, although no tears had been shed, the Gibbs/DiNozzo bedroom was equally gloomy.

Gibbs was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall. He still couldn't believe that Ducky was really going to leave N.C.I.S. All these years, agents had come and gone, but Ducky had been the one constant in both N.C.I.S. and Gibbs's life. Gibbs felt the mattress dip as Tony kneeled behind him. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around him, and Tony's chin rested on Gibbs's shoulder.

"You're going to miss him." It was a statement, not a question. 

Gibbs absently took Tony's hands in his and squeezed them, "That I will," he said, softly.

"Well then," said Tony, pulling his hands free and clapping Gibbs on the shoulders. "In that case, we'll just have to give him one hell of a going away bash. Maybe get Abby and Ziva to jump out of a cake or something."

"Is everything an excuse for a party with you, DiNozzo?" growled Gibbs in mock anger as he turned to look at Tony.

"What do you think?" grinned Tony.

"I think that while a party is a good idea, maybe we ought to keep it low key."

-----------------------

The going away party was about as low key as Gibbs expected from something planned by Tony...as in, not very. Lack of time had managed to curb much of Tony's excesses, as well as Gibbs's insistence that the whole thing be tasteful, and mindful of the fact that Ducky was still mourning the death of his mother.

"So no strippers then, right Boss?"

"Tony, Director Shepherd is going to be there...what do you think?"

"I think maybe we'd better get some male strippers in as well...yeouch!" Gibbs's hand made contact with Tony's head and he started to yelp and then stopped.

"What?" said Gibbs, seeing the expression on Tony's face.

"Nothing Boss...it...it's just that it's been a long time since you've swatted me."

Gibbs swallowed hard, realizing that Tony was right. "I...ever since...ever since we had that fight...Jimmy getting hurt...the stuff that McGee said...it sort of felt too much like I was hurting you...being an abusive partner..."

Tony clasped Gibbs's face in his hands. "You would never hurt me...I know that...I've always known that...don't you know that by now?"

----------------------------

In the end, it was a small gathering of Ducky's closest friends and colleagues from N.C.I.S. A meal at Ducky's favorite restaurant, followed by drinks and dancing.

Ducky barely sat down all night, so much in demand was he as both a dance partner and a source of conversation. His replacement as Medical Examiner, a Doctor Dawn Holliday, had also been invited, and the party was proving an ideal place for her to meet her new colleagues. 

Abby had been prepared to dislike her on principle, but Ducky had taken her aside and asked her to give Doctor Holliday a fair chance. "For my sake, Abigail," he said, while squiring her around the dance floor. 

"Ducky," protested Abby, "You know I'm not like that..." She quailed under Ducky's gaze and had the grace to blush, "Okay, okay, I know I treated Ziva like crap when she first got here."

"It wasn't Ziva's fault that Kate died," said Ducky, carefully. "And it's not Dawn's fault that I have chosen to leave. She's a fine M.E. and she'll be an asset to the agency."

Abby gave him a big hug, "It won't be the same without you, Duck man."

"I should certainly hope not. You will look after them all for me, won't you my dear?"

------------------------

It was late in the evening and Gibbs was sitting watching the dancers when Director Shepherd joined him.

"Tell me, is there something in the water cooler down in the bullpen?" she asked.

Gibbs looked at her as if she'd grown another head...or gotten a new haircut, as she continued, "Because I'm trying to think of another explanation for the fact that three quarters of my major case squad will be taking parental leave at around the same time."

"Ah," said Gibbs.

"Well might you say 'ah', Jethro." Jenny sipped her drink. "I'll have to bring in a whole new team to cover for you."

Gibbs shrugged, "Personnel deployment is your problem, Jen," he said. "All the paperwork's been submitted on time from my end. You can't penalize us for becoming parents."

"I'm not looking for a fight, Jethro. I'm just saying that the timing could have been a little better." She took another drink, "I didn't even think you wanted kids."

Gibbs knocked back his drink and stood. "Tony and I accept your congratulations, Director Shepherd. We'll be sure and not let our being parents affect our work. Anything else is our business." He stormed off towards the dance floor, where Tony was strutting his stuff.

"Mind if I cut in?" asked Gibbs, not waiting for an answer before he pulled Tony away from the group and into his arms. As luck would have it, a slow dance started just as that moment.

"You okay there, Jethro?" asked Tony, feeling the tension in Gibbs's body.

"I am now," said Gibbs, simply, as he tried make as much body contact with Tony as he could. "You think Ducky would mind if we left and had an early night?"

Tony looked at him carefully, "Isn't that something I'm more likely to say? What's wrong?"

"Nothing...everything..." Gibbs took a deep breath, "Is there anybody who doesn't know that you getting pregnant was an accident?"

"Well I wasn't exactly bragging about it," Tony hesitated before continuing, "Does it matter?"

"I just don't want anybody telling our child that they were an accident...a mistake...I don't even want people thinking it..."

Tony clasped Gibbs's face in his hands, "Unplanned does not mean unwanted, Jethro. Our child is going to know that...he or she...they'll know that whatever we might have been thinking before they were conceived...afterwards, we most definitely did want them...and it'll be the truth, Jethro...won't it?" Tony almost held his breath, waiting for an answer.

"Do you even have to ask?" said Gibbs, so softly that Tony could barely hear him above the music. Gibbs sighed and leaned forward until his forehead was touching Tony's. "I know that this didn't all start out the way it should have...and I just wish I could make it all up to you..."

"You don't have to...it's not how things start...it's how they finish that's important." Tony took Gibbs hand and placed it on his swelling abdomen, "And you're going to be here for the important part..."

"I will," said Gibbs. "I give you my word."

-----------------------

To be continued 


	13. Chapter 13

Title:Misconceptions 13?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Jimmy and Tony are both pregnant. Mrs. Mallard died, and Ducky retired from NCIS.

"You don't have to...it's not how things start...it's how they finish that's important." Tony took Gibbs hand and placed it on his swelling abdomen, "And you're going to be here for the important part..."

"I will," said Gibbs. "I give you my word."

-----------------------

13

"Yes Ma'am," said Tony into the phone. "I'll be sure and make a note of that. Goodbye." He replaced the handset and shuddered, "Weirdo," he muttered under his breath. 

He hated this. Being stuck in the office, making calls and doing research. But at twenty eight weeks, and no longer able to fit into even the most generously cut of N.C.I.S. issue bulletproof vests, the most exciting activity he'd been allowed to do in the past week was to pick up coffee for the rest of the team...and even that wasn't much fun when he was stuck to decaf.

Tony knew it was for his own good. Few of the crime scenes they worked were in nice convenient locations and the last few weeks he'd been on active duty he'd been finding it more and more difficult to keep up with his teammates. They'd all tried to help...sharing his load, making sure he didn't have too much equipment to carry. But even so, by the end of even a normal day, Tony frequently found himself with swollen ankles and barely able to put one foot in front of the other. 

At the next OB appointment after Tony had first come home with swollen ankles, Gibbs the conniving bastard had spilled the beans to Doctor Wu and gotten a recommendation from her that Tony go on desk duty sooner rather than later. The day that Tony could no longer buckle up his vest was the last day he'd worked a crime scene. 

Tony supposed he should consider himself lucky that Doctor Wu hadn't put him on immediate leave. He knew that Gibbs had been trying to steer her towards that decision, but she'd simply advised Tony to stay off his feet as much as possible during the working day, and in general, to take things easy and avoid stress.

"Avoid stress...yeah, right," thought Tony. Doctor Wu had no idea how much more stress he was under, watching Gibbs head out into the field and not be with him to watch his six. Oh he knew that Ziva and McGee were there...and he trusted them...as much as he trusted anybody at N.C.I.S. But dammit, Gibbs was his responsibility and he was the one who should be watching Gibbs's back...not them.

It was okay for Jimmy, thought Tony as he leaned back in his chair. He was used to sending McGee off on his own...he had never seen the dangers for himself. "Ignorance is bliss," Tony told himself. Sometimes he wished he didn't know so much about the dangers that were out there.

Tony tried to lean back a little more and cursed as the chair wouldn't tilt any further. Gibbs had seen him at his usual chair tipping antics a few days earlier. He hadn't said anything, but that night the chair had come home with them to Gibbs's basement...and the next day Tony had found that the chair wouldn't tilt back more than forty five degrees.

"That's far enough if you need to take a nap, but not so far that you'll fall over," was all that Gibbs had said. "And don't even think of trying to swap chairs with anybody, DiNozzo."

Sitting back upright, Tony's eyes widened as he saw a familiar figure step out of the elevator.

Almost jumping out of his chair, Tony hid behind partitions and desks until he was able to sidle up behind Agent Paula Cassidy.

"Well hello there little lady," Tony drawled, "Long time no see!"

Paula turned around, but her greeting died on her lips as her gaze dropped to Tony's waistline. "Wow Tony," she said finally. "I would ask what you've been up to...but I think I can guess."

Tony's smile faded briefly, "Well...you know me and junk food. Ducky always said I eat too much of it, and I guess it caught up with me all at once. Gibbs won't let me in the field again until I fit back into my vest...but hey, I can still outrun Probie, and I've promised Gibbs I'll give up junk food...tomorrow..."

"Oh you're not...I mean I thought..." Paula was blushing furiously.

Tony kept the hurt expression on his face for a few seconds longer, just to twist the knife a bit, and then he broke into a smile. "Relax Paula, I'm just kidding. It's actually hormonal, nothing to with junk food...okay, well maybe a couple of pounds is...but I'm sure I'll lose it fast enough once I have the kid..."

"So you are...DiNozzo!" Paula punched him on the arm. 

"Agent Cassidy! Do I need to remind you that nobody lays a hand on one of my team members but me?"

Paula jumped.

Tony, who had seen Gibbs coming out of the corner of his eye, didn't jump...well, not much anyway. 

"What are you doing here, Agent Cassidy?" asked Gibbs.

"I was told I was being assigned here, but not why," replied Paula. She glanced over at Tony, "Now I'm guessing it's to cover for Tony while he's on leave."

Tony's jaw dropped and he looked at Gibbs, "Boss?"

"You'd be guessing wrong, Agent Cassidy," growled Gibbs. "Unless the Doc says differently, DiNozzo isn't taking leave for another month or two." 

Paula shrugged, "All I know is that I got orders to report here...signed by Director Shepherd."

-------------------

"I thought you'd learned your lesson about assigning people to teams without consultation," growled Gibbs as he stormed into the Director's office.

"And good morning to you too, Jethro," said Jenny as she looked up from her paperwork.

"What the hell are you doing assigning Paula Cassidy to my team? Tony's not due to take leave for weeks yet. Dammit, you should have consulted me first."

Jenny looked at him, "I seem to remember being told that personnel deployment was my problem."

Gibbs glared at her until she looked away,

"In any event," continued Jenny, "You're mistaken. I didn't have Agent Cassidy assigned here to join your team. I'm setting up a new task force, and she'll be heading her own team as part of it."

It wasn't often that Gibbs was rendered speechless, and it took him a few seconds to snap back, "She's not ready...she doesn't have the experience."

"She has as many years as you had when you reached that level. In any event, it'll only be on a trial basis."

Gibbs finally left the Directors office, still not happy, and with Jen's final words ringing in his ears.

"You're going to need a replacement for Agent DiNozzo soon enough. If you don't want somebody arbitrarily assigned to your team, then I'd advise you to make a choice yourself...and sooner, rather than later."

----------------------

That night, Gibbs's hand rested protectively on Tony's belly as they spooned together.

"Tell me, Jethro," said Tony, sleepily. "Why were you so down on having Paula on the team? I mean, I know she's made a few mistakes in the past...but she's a good agent." He felt Gibbs's breath hot against the back of his neck as he continued, "And I thought you'd be happy to get me off my feet and stopping working completely."

Gibbs's grip on Tony tightened, "I know that you're not happy driving a desk all the time, Tony." He nuzzled at the back of Tony's neck. "And no matter how much you make people believe you're an idle beggar..." He kissed Tony gently, "...I know it'd kill you to be sitting at home with no work to do...so as long as you feel up to it...and as long as Doctor Wu agrees, then you can stay on desk duty."

There was silence for a few minutes until Tony prompted Gibbs, "And Paula? I mean, you could probably do with an extra pair of hands in the field right now...so why not her?"

"Maybe I just don't like the idea of having somebody else on the team who knows what you look like naked," he growled in mock annoyance.

"Hmm," said Tony, thoughtfully. "So does that mean you'll be giving McGee the boot, cause I'm pretty sure he snuck a peek when we were all in that decon shower together!"

"DiNozzo!" growled Gibbs. He pulled Tony gently onto his back and started kissing him forcefully, making the younger man gasp for breath.

Tony didn't know whether it had been his comment about the decon shower and the memories it had brought back, but two weeks later, Gibbs announced that Cassidy Yates would be working with them until Tony was ready to be back in the field.

--------------------------

Jimmy made his way up to the Bullpen via the stairs. He took each step carefully, flattening himself against the wall as best as he could whenever anybody else passed him. Not that he could do much flattening, what with a thirty-two week bump in front of him, but he did his best. He paused at the top of the next flight of steps, to catch his breath again, knowing that he probably should have taken the elevator. But ever since being trapped in it a few months earlier, he had avoided using it as much as possible...especially when he was on his own. Anyway, gentle exercise was good for him, and the baby, Jimmy told himself as he neared the top of yet another flight. 

"Hey Tony," said Jimmy, when he finally reached the bullpen. 

"Jimmy, my man!" said Tony. "Hey, you look whacked! Pull up a chair"  
Tony watched as Jimmy sank gratefully into the seat. "You know," he said, carefully. "You could have called me...I'd have come down to Autopsy."

Jimmy shook his head; "Doctor Holliday is running a lot of x-rays today. She wouldn't have let you in."

"Yeah, I know...but I could have ridden back up in the elevator with you, so you wouldn't have had to take the stairs." Tony leaned over his desk and punched Jimmy gently on the shoulder. "I know you don't like using it any more...can't say I blame you, although being stuck in there alone with Gibbs for a few hours," an evil grin appeared on Tony's face, "Can't say I'd have minded that too much! And I'm sure if you'd been trapped with McGee instead...hey, maybe I should suggest it to him, you know, a little distraction therapy to cure your phobia!"

"Tony!" said Jimmy, laughing in spite of himself.

"Course you'd have to disable the security cameras," added Tony as he leaned back in his chair, "But Abby could help you there...mind you, she's more likely to just divert the feed to her lab and use it as a screensaver!"

"Tony!" was all that Jimmy could say, by now laughing helplessly. "I...oh..." he clutched his stomach.

"You okay there Jimmy?" asked Tony, his face all serious as he leaned forward.

"Yes, yes I'm fine," Jimmy had a smile on his face, "Just Junior joining in the fun. He's been getting pretty active lately."

"He? Hey, I thought you and McGee weren't gonna find out!"

"Oh we haven't...I just...I just have a sort of feeling," said Jimmy, stroking his belly automatically. 

"Yeah...yeah, I know those sort of feelings," said Tony. He shivered involuntarily.

Now it was Jimmy's turn to ask, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...it was nothing. Hey, you hungry? Gibbs isn't here and I have a stash of potato chips he hasn't found yet!"

"Pass them over," said Jimmy, greedily. He popped open the bag and started eating.

Tony crammed a handful into his mouth and chewed on them. Halfway through the bag, he let out a loud belch, attracting the attention of a few passers by who eyed him in annoyance.

"Hey, pregnant dude over here," called Tony. "I can't help my body's reactions." 

He turned back to Jimmy who said sympathetically, "Has that been much of a problem for you?"

Tony shrugged, "No more so than before I got knocked up." He crammed another handful of chips into his mouth and added, "But now I just don't bother hiding it!"

----------------------

The chips were finished and the evidence thoroughly disposed of, when Jimmy thought to ask, "So where is everybody? Did a case come up or something?"

Tony hesitated before replying, "Something to do with this task force Paula's on. Gibbs and her took their teams off a few hours ago. Think the F.B.I. was involved as well." 

"Something big? Tim didn't tell me there was anything planned..."

"I think it sort of came up in a rush. They've gone to..." Tony's voice trailed off as he glanced at the LCD display on the wall. The usual innocuous reports had been replaced by an emergency notice. Tony mouthed the words as he read them, "Explosion reported...agents down...backup required in..." The color drained from his face.

"Tony! What's wrong?" 

"We have to get to MTAC...now!"

-------------------------

To be continued 


	14. Chapter 14

Title:Misconceptions - 14?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS.  
Tony was put on desk duty and Cassidy Yates was brought in as his replacement in the field.  
Paula Cassidy returned and was assigned her own team. 

"I think it sort of came up in a rush. They've gone to..." Tony's voice trailed off as he glanced at the LCD display on the wall. The usual innocuous reports had been replaced by an emergency notice. Tony mouthed the words as he read them, "Explosion reported...agents down...backup required in..." The color drained from his face.

"Tony! What's wrong?" 

"We have to get to MTAC...now!"

-------------------------

14

Director Shepherd had to forcibly stop herself from pacing up and down in MTAC as she waited for updates. It took all her self-control to stay in one place as she watched the view screen. 

Not that there was much to see apart from a dust covered mound of rubble that up until half an hour ago had been the entrance to a suspected terrorist cell. Touching her headset, Jenny made contact with Agent Penrose who was in charge of the mobile command center, which had been observing the operation. "How long before the area can be made safe?" she asked him.

"Director Shepherd, we're working as fast as we can, but it'll take time to make sure there's no more nasty surprises. And I won't let the rescue teams go in until I'm sure it's safe."

"Understood. Keep me posted," replied Jenny. She broke the connection and then heard the raised voices coming from the MTAC entrance.

Glancing over, she could see Tony DiNozzo arguing with the security guard.

"Dammit, I've got clearance, and he's with me," Tony was almost yelling.

Jenny approached the door just in time to hear his companion say, "Tony, it...it doesn't matter...just...just go and find out what's happening...please!"

"It's all right," said Jenny, recognizing Jimmy. "I'll vouch for Mr. Palmer, let him pass."

Tony glared at the guard as they passed by.

"Director Shepherd," he said, "What's happening? I saw the emergency notice...is...is Gibbs's team involved?"

"And Tim," blurted out Jimmy, "What's happened?"

Jenny could see how close to panic he was, and Tony, for all his efforts at self-control, wasn't doing much better. He had an arm around Palmer protectively, but his free hand was clenched in a fist.

"I know they were in the field," he said. "Were...were they involved?"

"Yes," said Jenny, carefully. "We had solid Intel regarding a terrorist cell operating out of Washington. Agent Cassidy's task force was charged with taking it out. Gibbs and his team were assisting. Midway through the assault...there was an explosion. At this point, we don't know whether it was a booby trap, or if the terrorists set it off to avoid being captured."

"I don't care how it happened," interrupted Tony. "I just...I just want to know if they're okay."

"We have no information yet regarding the agents on the ground," said Jenny. "The teams were inside the building when it blew...rescue services are on the scene, but it hasn't been made safe yet."

"Oh God," said Jimmy, slumping against Tony, his face pale.

"You shouldn't be here," said Jenny.

"He has every right to be here," snapped Tony, his voice shaking. "I...we...we both do..."

Jenny called for her assistant. "Have a car and driver made ready," she said, before turning her attention back to Tony and Jimmy.

"All personnel located on the scene will be medevaced to Bethesda as soon as possible. I don't think either of you should be driving, so I'll have you taken there immediately." She stepped forward and patted both men on the arms. "We'll find them for you...you have my word."

Nobody brought up the fact that she had omitted the word 'alive' from her promise.

Jenny waited until Tony and Jimmy had left MTAC before she made contact with the site again.  
"Update, Agent Penrose."

"Ma'am, as far as we can tell, the site is clear. I'm sending in the medic's now." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I should warn you Director...it's not pretty...and there's likely to be fatalities."

-----------------------------

Tony and Abby and Jimmy sat in the corridor at Bethesda. 

Director Shepherd had contacted Abby in her lab, and apprised her of the situation, informing her that she was sending Jimmy and Tony to Bethesda. She had suggested to Abby that given the pair's respective conditions, it might be advisable for them to have a friend there with them.

"It...it's that bad?" Abby had asked, her voice uncharacteristically shaky.

"It could be," admitted Jenny, "And in their conditions...a shock could easily bring on premature labor. At least if they're already at Bethesda..."

"Got it Ma'am," said Abby. "I...I'll look after them."

Sitting between the expectant pair, holding their hands in hers, Abby wondered who was going to look after her. Gibbs was like a father to her, and McGee...although their relationship had long since run its course, and Abby was truly happy that Tim had found somebody like Jimmy to share his life with, she still had a soft spot in her heart for him. And then there were the other agents, Ziva and Cassidy and Paula and all her team. Abby considered them her family and the thought of losing any of them was more than she could bear. 

She could only imagine how Tony and Jimmy were feeling, knowing that their lovers...the father's of their respective children were in danger. It felt like they'd spent hours in this corridor, watching the doctors and nurses bustling around, making preparations to receive patients. But so far, nobody had been able to tell them anything other than they'd have to wait and see.

"We should have gone to the site," said Tony for what seemed like the hundredth time. "We could have been doing something...helping find them...anything would be better than just sitting around."

"Don't be silly, Tony," said Abby, squeezing his hand firmly. "You know you wouldn't be let anywhere near the site, even if you weren't so pregnant. They need to be sending in specialists, people who know how to stabilize the walls and everything. Otherwise they could make it even worse."

A sob escaped Jimmy's lips and Abby turned her attention to him, "They'll find McGee, and Gibbs...they'll find them all, I'm sure of it..." Abby refused to let herself thing of the possibility that any of the team wouldn't return. They couldn't lose a member of their family...not again...

The sound of footsteps made them look up expectantly, but to their great surprise, Ducky pushed his way through the door.

"Oh my God, Ducky!" said Abby, launching herself off the seat to hug him warmly. "I'm so glad to see you!"

A few seconds later, Tony joined in the hug. "Long time no see, Ducky," he said. 

"Thank you," said Ducky, "I wish our meeting was under better circumstances." He looked over at Jimmy, "Jimmy, it's good to see you again my boy."

"No..." said Jimmy who had stood to greet Ducky. "Please...you shouldn't be here...they wouldn't have called you back unless they needed you...unless somebody was dead...I don't want you to be here and telling me that Tim is dead!" There was a note of hysteria in his voice as he backed against the wall.

Tony looked at Jimmy and then backed away from Ducky as well. "Is...is that true Ducky?" he asked. "Did...did you get called in to break the news to us? Did you?" he nearly shouted the last bit.

"Tony," said Ducky, his voice calm and reassuring as always. "And you too, Jimmy. Nobody called me in. I came back from my trip a little earlier than planned, and had merely phoned N.C.I.S. to apprise Jethro of my return. When I found out what had happened, naturally my first thought was to see if there was anything I could to. I promise you both that I have no knowledge one way or another regarding the condition or status of your partners and teammates. Now come...please, sit down." He held his hands out to Tony and Jimmy. "I would tell you both to relax, but I fear it would be a waste of breath. But I will insist that you both take the weight off your feet...please."

Tony and Jimmy reluctantly allowed themselves to be led back to their chairs.

"So why are you back so early, Duckman?" asked Abby. "I mean, not that I'm complaining about you showing up." She squeezed his arm gently, "But I thought you weren't going to be back for a month or so."

"That was my original intention, yes," said Ducky. "But I discovered that many of the places I was revisiting, were best remembered through a young man's eyes...and the life of leisure is not one that I'm completely suited for."

"So you'll be coming back to work at N.C.I.S.?" asked Jimmy, his face brightening. 

"Perhaps in an advisory capacity," said Ducky, squeezing Jimmy's hand. "While I don't feel myself cut out for a life of total leisure, neither do I wish to tie myself down to a permanent job. No, I have some contacts in the academic field who have long been trying to persuade me to do some lecturing for them. Nothing extensive, just a few hours here and there...enough to stop me getting bored. And the rest of the time, well I have been considering writing my memoirs. After all, if a Geisha can do it..."

Ducky was about to continue when the doors burst open and a gurney was wheeled through.

"Ziva!" called Tony, recognizing the figure on the bed. He pushed his way through the medical personnel to reach her side. "Ziva, what happened? Where are the others?"

Ziva had an oxygen mask on her face and her right arm was heavily splinted. She was covered with dust, and there were bloodstains on her bulletproof vest.

"Sir," said the E.M.T., "You need to step back so we can treat her."

Ziva pulled the oxygen mask away with her uninjured hand. "Tony," she said, coughing. "Gibbs and McGee were...were ahead of us...first wave." She coughed again, "An explosion...Cassidy and I were trapped...they were ahead of us...further down...I'm sorry Tony, I don't know where..." A spasm of coughing hit her and she was too weak to protest as the medic replaced her mask. 

Tony just stood there numbly as Ziva was wheeled away.

"DiNozzo!" The voice of Cassidy Yates made him turn around to where she was being pushed along in a wheelchair. A bandage was wrapped around her head and streaks of blood had left a path through the dust on the side of her face and down to her shoulder. She too had an oxygen mask on, but appeared to be in better condition than Ziva.

Abby reached her side first, "Cassidy, are you okay? Where's Gibbs and McGee? What happened?"

"Booby trap," said Cassidy. "Place went down like a house of cards. Ziva and I were lucky, we were in the last wave of the assault."

"And Gibbs and McGee?" This came from Ducky who had an arm round Jimmy as they approached the small group. 

Cassidy dropped her gaze for a few seconds before looking up again, "They...they were in the first wave...a lot closer to the explosion. Rescue workers are still trying to locate them...but the longer it takes...the worse their chances..."

Jimmy's legs gave way. Ducky and Abby were barely able to catch him before he hit the ground.

------------------------------

Back at N.C.I.S., Director Shepherd took a call from Agent Penrose. "Report?" she said crisply.

"Ma'am...it's not good. We're nearly at the center of the site...and I have confirmation of fatalities..."

There was silence for a few seconds before Jenny asked, "Friendly or hostiles?"

"Both."

----------------------------

To be continued 


	15. Chapter 15

Warning - this chapter comes with a tissue warning.

Title:Misconceptions 15?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS - The team - excluding Tony - was caught in an explosion while taking down a suspected terrorist cell. Cassidy Yates and Ziva were rescued from the scene, but Gibbs and McGee were still missing. NCIS agent in charge of the rescue confirmed that there were going to be fatalities.

Jimmy's legs gave way. Ducky and Abby were barely able to catch him before he hit the ground.

There was silence for a few seconds before Jenny asked, "Friendly or hostiles?"

"Both."

----------------------------

15

Cassidy had been whisked away for treatment by the time Doctor Wu arrived to check Jimmy over. He sat on the edge of a gurney, not saying anything as she checked his vital signs. "Well your B.P. is elevated and your pulse is racing, but under the circumstances, that's hardly surprising." Doctor Wu replaced her stethoscope around her neck. "To be on the safe side, I should admit you overnight for observation."

"No!" said Jimmy firmly. "I need to be here...not stuck in a ward somewhere."

"I understand, Jimmy," said Doctor Wu, "But you need to understand that you have to think of yourself and your baby." She saw the look of anguish that crossed Jimmy's face and continued, "But I think that admitting you might cause you even more stress, so I'm not going to do it...not yet anyway. Promise me that you'll stay off your feet, and rest as much as possible for the next few days."

"I can't...I need Tim...I..."

"Jimmy," said Doctor Wu, gently but firmly. "I know that you're worried about Tim, but at the moment, the only thing that you can do for him is look after yourself and this little guy."

-------------------------

One minute Gibbs was leading his team through the building. He heard Paula Cassidy's voice breaking radio silence, yelling something about it being a trap, and the next second, all hell had broken loose. There'd been gunfire, followed by an explosion, and the next thing Gibbs knew, he was on his hands and knees in the darkness.

Dust swirled around Gibbs's face and he coughed violently. Spasms of pain shot through his body and he groaned out loud. 

His head hurt, his shoulder hurt, his chest hurt, and he could taste blood in his mouth. "McGee," called Gibbs, remembering how the younger agent had been only feet away from him when the blast happened.  
"Ziv..." Gibbs started coughing again. He felt around in the darkness and his hand brushed against something metal...a torch. Gibbs grabbed it quickly and flipped the switch, cursing when nothing happened. He shook it furiously, then tried it again. The light beam emitted was barely the strength of a candle, but it was enough for Gibbs to see McGee half buried under rubble a few feet away from him.

"McGee!" Gibbs crawled over to his trapped agent. He felt for a pulse, sighing in relief when he found one. Granted it was weak and thready, but at least it was there. 

Gibbs shone the torch around, trying to assess the situation. It wasn't good.  
Rubble and boards surround them, balanced precariously. Any attempt to free dig their way out could bring the whole pile crashing down on top of them, judged Gibbs. He had enough space to crawl around a little, maybe sit up, but standing was out of the question.

A large board was stuck solidly across McGee's waist, pinning him to the ground. Gibbs pulled at it, but it was wedged firmly in place. He shone the torch over what he could see of the younger agent, noting the bruises on McGee's face, but to his relief there didn't seem to be any other injuries...not externally at any rate. Gibbs knew that internally was a different matter, but right now there wasn't a hell of a lot he could do about that right now except try and get them both the hell out of there.

Gibbs tried his headset but wasn't surprised to find it inoperative. His phone was equally useless. Whether it was from the impact or just the amount of rubble they were buried under, Gibbs didn't know.

A groan alerted him to the fact that McGee was coming around. 

Gibbs was by his side in an instant. "Don't try to move," he ordered.

"I...we...wha...what happened?" McGee blinked furiously. "I...I can't move...Gibbs!"

Gibbs grabbed McGee's flailing hand. "Take it easy, McGee. There's a board pinning you down. I can't move it. Just stay calm. There'll be a rescue team coming soon." Gibbs hoped he sounded more convincing than he felt. That explosion had packed a fair punch in his estimation. It could take a long time before any sort of rescue operation could get them out, and looking at the pallor of McGee's face, Gibbs wasn't sure if they had much time.  
Even as he watched, McGee's eyes closed.

"McGee," barked Gibbs, "Stay awake...that's an order!" He could see McGee force his eyes open. "Stay with me, McGee...stay focused." Gibbs wracked his brain, trying to think of something to keep McGee conscious. "Talk to me, McGee."

-------------------------

"Come on, McGee, stay with me," Gibbs ordered for what seemed like the hundredth time. His watch had stopped and he had no idea how long they'd been trapped. All he knew was that McGee's condition seemed to be getting worse. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and even though he wasn't complaining, Gibbs could tell that he was in a lot of pain. He'd done his best to keep McGee focused, asking him questions, getting him concentrating on anything other than the situation they'd found themselves in, but not being one for small talk, Gibbs was rapidly running out of sources of conversation.

"Talk to me, McGee, tell me...tell me about the baby. You found out the sex yet?"

"No...we...we want it...surprise...wait and see," said McGee. "So happy...love Jimmy..." He coughed and groaned in pain, "Gibbs...if...if I don't make it...tell...tell Jimmy..." His eyes closed, and Gibbs thought he'd passed out again, but then he rallied and opened his eyes, "Tell Jimmy...tell him I love him...tell him I know he's gonna be...gonna be a great parent...tell him...tell him I wish I could have been there for him...for our child...but I know...I know he'll raise him or her right...tell him..." McGee coughed again. "Promise me Gibbs...promise me you'll look after Jimmy...he...he needs somebody...I don't...I don't want to leave him alone..."

Gibbs squeezed his hand, "I promise...but it's not going to come to that, you hear? You are going to stay alive for Jimmy and your baby...and that is an order."

McGee managed to smile through his pain, "I don't...I don't know if I can..."

"Don't sell yourself short, Tim." Gibbs rubbed his head, which was throbbing more and more as the time passed. "You've always been a good agent...and you're going to make a great father."

"Scared...scared I'll screw up...bad enough to mess up on the job...but with a child...sometimes I wish we'd never decided to have a kid...what if I mess things up? What if I'm a terrible father? I've never done anything...anything like this before..."

"Everybody messes up," said Gibbs. He blinked, and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his vision, but it was all looking a bit blurry. "There's no such thing as a perfect parent...you just do the best you can...read all the books, try your best to do everything right. And you make mistakes...everybody does, but you learn from them...try not to make the same mistake twice." Gibbs's head was pounding furiously now, as if somebody was hitting him with a baseball bat again. He thought he could hear noises, metal striking against stone, and muffled voices, but he wasn't sure if it was real or just in his head. "And sometimes no matter what you do, it's not enough and you try to protect them and then one day some freak with a grudge decides it's time for a little payback and your little girl is dead at your feet and you know you're a failure as a parent because all you had to do was protect her and you couldn't even do that..." Gibbs could feel tears running down his cheeks but he couldn't stop them. He could hear somebody calling his name, but it didn't sound like McGee's voice. 

And then the pounding in his head was getting worse and it was like a spike being driven into his skull. Gibbs opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. A gust of fresh air blew into his face, and his last conscious thought before he collapsed was "About time they got here."

---------------------------

As the hours passed, Jimmy wished that he hadn't promised Doctor Wu he'd stay off his feet. He sat in the wheelchair she'd ordered him into, and fidgeted uncontrollably, wishing he could at least pace up and down the corridor to work off his tension. 

The rest of the group weren't much better. Tony was huddled in a corner, having finally worn himself out with all of his pacing. He'd refused all efforts by Ducky and Abby to get him to eat, telling them that he'd eat when Gibbs got there and not before.

Jimmy had forced himself to have some soup that Abby had commandeered from the canteen. He hadn't wanted to, but Abby had threatened to call back Doctor Wu if Jimmy wouldn't eat anything. 

"Doctor Mallard, might I have a word?" An ER doctor was standing there, looking uncomfortable.

"Why...yes, of course." Ducky followed the doctor down the corridor. There were gone a few minutes before he returned alone, a somber expression on his face.

"No," breathed Tony, his face paling. He knew in his heart that something bad was going to happen. The doctor would have told them directly if it had been good news, but for him to be telling Ducky, he had to be wanting Ducky to break the bad news. He pushed himself to his feet.  
"No no no...please Ducky, please Ducky, don't let it be Gibbs...Ducky!" 

"Tony, sit down...please," said Ducky, taking him by the arm. "I have something to say to both you and Jimmy..."

---------------------------

To be continued 


	16. Chapter 16

Title:Misconceptions 16?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.  
Okay, I make no claim to medical knowledge - yes, that's probably obvious, considering this is an M-Preg fic! I apologize for any other medical inaccuracies that may crop up.

Previously on NCIS - Gibbs and McGee were trapped following an explosion. Tony and Jimmy waited anxiously at Bethesda for news.

"Tony, sit down...please," said Ducky, taking him by the arm. "I have something to say to both you and Jimmy..."

-  
16

Ducky sat down in front of Tony and Jimmy. "My boys," he said gently.

"They...they've found them...haven't they?" Tony's voice was strained.

Ducky nodded, "Jethro and Timothy have been located...alive," he said.

Tony let out a half sob, half sigh of relief. "I knew it," he said, brushing his hand over his eyes. "I knew even a building falling on top of him couldn't kill Gibbs. Where is he, Ducky? They're bringing him here, right?" He started to stand, but Ducky put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Anthony. As I said, they are alive...but they are both in a critical condition."

"Critical?" Jimmy's voice was more of a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy, Tony. They're being medevaced here, but it looks like they'll both be requiring emergency surgery..." Ducky could see that both men were nearing their breaking points. He reached out and took their hands. "They'll be in good hands. The Doctors at Bethesda are the best in the city...but you do need to be prepared for the worst."

Tears were trickling down Jimmy's face, "They...they could die?"

"The Doctors will be able to tell you more when they've had a chance to examine them."

Tony put his arm around Jimmy, "Hey, it'll be okay kid. Gibbs is tough as old boots, and Probie's got a stubborn streak in him a mile wide. They'll be fine...they both will...right Ducky?" 

Jimmy looked at Ducky and saw something in his face, "There...is there something you're not telling us, Doctor Mallard?"

Ducky hesitated before continuing. On the one hand, he didn't wish to upset them any further, but on the other hand, he didn't want to lie to them either. "The rescue workers have completed clearing the scene...I'm afraid that Paula Cassidy didn't make it."

----------------------

Paula was dead, thought Tony as he sat in the waiting room, all huddled up on his chair. Paula was dead, and while a part of him grieved for her loss, Tony couldn't allow himself to dwell on it just yet. Gibbs was alive...for the moment at least, and Tony couldn't let himself focus on anything but him. 

"Agent Gibbs has two cracked ribs and a broken collarbone, along with numerous bruises and abrasions," the Doctor had told Tony. "But what we're most concerned with is the blow to his head. He was unconscious when located, and a scan shows some bleeding inside his skull. We need to operate to reduce the pressure...but there are risks...he may not survive the procedure in his weakened stage. But if we do nothing, if we wait, the damage may be irreparable, and he may never wake up."

"I don't understand," said Tony, shaking his head, "Why are you telling me this? Why aren't you just doing what you need to do to save him?"

"Agent DiNozzo...this is your decision to make, but it needs to be made quickly."

Tony looked at Ducky in confusion. 

Ducky nodded, "I've checked it with human resources at N.C.I.S. Jethro filed the paperwork several weeks ago. You have his power of attorney, and the authority...the responsibility to make medical decisions for him." Ducky looked closely at Tony, "I take it Jethro never told you?"

Tony shook his head, "He never mentioned it...Ducky, what should I do? I...I can't think clearly...I don't know what Gibbs would want me to decide..."

"Jethro would want you to make whatever decision you felt was right. He trusts you Tony, trusts your judgment. Otherwise he wouldn't have put it in your hands."

Tony wished that Gibbs had said as much to him. 

"Tony," said Ducky, after a few seconds had passed. "I don't wish to pressure you unduly, but if the doctors are to have any chance of successfully operating, they need to do it now."

"What? I...okay..." Tony buried his head in his hands, "Tell them...tell them to operate...to do what they have to do..." And God help me if I'm wrong, he added silently to himself.

------------------------

Jimmy too had been sat down with a Doctor to discuss his lover's medical condition.

"Agent McGee has a broken ankle. It's minor and there should be no complications from it. He's also suffered a blunt force trauma to the abdomen, causing internal bleeding and formation of a blood clot, which is putting pressure on his spinal cord. If we don't remove the clot soon, then he could be paralyzed from the waist down."

Jimmy swallowed hard, "So you're going to operate, right? You'll operate and you'll fix it and he'll be okay...won't he?" 

The Doctor and Ducky exchanged glances before Ducky said; "Timothy is in a severely weakened state right now. He is stable...but he may not be strong enough to survive a major surgery if they operate now. However, if they wait until he's stronger, the damage could be permanent."

Just like Tony before him, Jimmy knew that his lover's fate rested in his hands. Do nothing, and while Tim would probably survive, he might never walk again...or let him be operated on and risk losing him forever. Unlike Tony, however, Jimmy had known that it would be his decision to make. A few weeks after his pregnancy had been confirmed, he and Tim had gone to a solicitor and signed the papers that gave them full legal authority as each other's next of kin. It had been mainly because of the baby. Jimmy had wanted Tim's parental rights to be without question, and if - God forbid - things went wrong during the delivery, Jimmy knew that he didn't want anybody else making medical decisions on his behalf.

It had occurred to Jimmy at the time that given Tim's profession, that some day he might be called upon to exercise that authority on Tim's behalf, and it had scared him. The thought of losing Tim scared him, and not just because he didn't think he could cope as a single parent. He'd grown up watching his mother struggle to raise two kids on her own. She'd managed all right, but it had been a constant struggle, both financially and emotionally, and Jimmy didn't think he was strong enough to do it himself. 

But to condemn Tim to a life in a wheelchair, just because he was afraid of being a single parent...that wasn't right either. Tim deserved better than that from him. If there was the slightest chance of him being able to make a full recovery, Jimmy had no right to deny it.

Swallowing hard, Jimmy said, "I...I want...Tim would want...please, operate now..."

-----------------------

The room was a very silent place as the group waited for news of the surgeries.

Ducky had half heartedly suggested to Jimmy and Tony that they return home with him and rest. "It will be several hours before their surgeries are complete," he had told the pair, "and even after that, it will undoubtedly be several more hours before they regain consciousness." Ducky hadn't really been surprised when both young men turned him down flat.

"I have to be here, Ducky," Tony had said. "I know I can't do anything...but I can at least be here...under the same roof." Jimmy had echoed Tony's sentiments, refusing to leave the building.

Ducky had expected no less, but he had had to make the effort. If truth be told, he himself was just as glad to be staying at the hospital as well. He had however pulled a few strings and arranged for a private room with two beds to be made available for the group. "If you insist on staying, then you might as well be as comfortable as possible while doing so," he had told Tony and Jimmy. "I know that telling you to sleep is probably a waste of my breath, but you'll be more comfortable lying down than sitting on those wretched chairs. And if you can get some shut eye, then so much the better. But at least you'll be resting"  
He hadn't taken no for an answer, and now both beds were occupied. 

Ducky sat in a corner of the room, keeping a watchful eye on both of them, and Abby too. She was so subdued. Ducky hadn't seen her this quiet since...well, not since poor Caitlin had died. But then, everybody was bound to be affected by today. 

Ducky had stepped out of the room briefly, to contact Director Shepherd regarding the situation. 

"Ducky, I've just gotten off the phone with Paula Cassidy's father. I need you to be honest with me," Jenny had said to him, "Am I going to have to be making more calls of sympathy?"

Ducky sighed, "I really don't know, Jenny. I really don't know."

---------------------- 

To be continued 


	17. Chapter 17

Title:Misconceptions 17?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS - Following a failed assault on a terrorist cell, Gibbs and McGee were trapped in the rubble for several hours, before being dug out and rushed to emergency surgery at Bethesda. Tony, Jimmy, Ducky and Abby waited anxiously for news.

Ducky had stepped out of the room briefly, to contact Director Shepherd regarding the situation. "Ducky, I've just gotten off the phone with Paula Cassidy's father. I need you to be honest with me," Jenny had said to him, "Am I going to have to be making more calls of sympathy"  
Ducky sighed, "I really don't know, Jenny. I really don't know."

---------------------- 

17

Time passed slowly. Ducky left the room on a regular basis. Officially it was merely to relieve himself. "A side effect of old age, I'm afraid," he had told them, perfectly willing to go into elaborate detail with many examples, about the effects of ageing on his bladder. Unfortunately none of the occupants of the room showed even a passing interest in his alibi.

Unofficially however, Ducky was getting regular updates on the condition of all the N.C.I.S. agents undergoing treatment at Bethesda. While Gibbs and McGee had been the most seriously injured of the survivors, there were several others who had required treatment as well. Some, like Cassidy Yates, had already been discharged, and had headed back to N.C.I.S. for debriefing. 

Others, like Ziva, had been admitted for further treatment and/or observation.

On one of his 'visits to the head', Ducky had called in to see her.

A broken right arm, two cracked ribs, and a mild concussion had required her admission for observation. It had also required that she be woken every half hour or so to check on her condition which meant that by the time Ducky arrived, she was not a happy camper.

Ducky updated her as to the condition of the rest of the team. He also advised her that much as she might wish to leave the hospital, robbing the uniform off the next nurse who showed up to check her vitals was probably not a good idea.  
"For one thing Ziva, my dear," Ducky had told her, with a twinkle in his eye, "As well as being nurses, they're all military trained...and in your present condition, I think they'd be more than a match for you. So unless you wish to find yourself scheduled for an enema first thing in the morning, I'd advise you to stay put."

"You make a good argument, Ducky," said Ziva, still a little groggy from the pain meds she'd been given. "Besides, I can only imagine Tony's reaction were I to show up in a nurse's uniform!"

Ducky sighed, "If I thought it would amuse him...I'd help you procure one...but I fear that Tony is beyond distracting...at least until there's news of Gibbs."

-----------------------

Doctor Holliday was also contacted by Ducky during one of his 'excursions'. Even though it was by now late in the evening, she was still hard at work, examining the victim's of the day's events. "I'm managing fine," she had told Ducky, "I've called in a few favors and gotten my pick of Pathology Residents from the hospital to give me a hand. Tell Jimmy he's to stay put, McGee needs him more than I do at the moment."

------------------------

Ducky returned to the room to find Abby pacing anxiously.

"Ducky!" she exclaimed when she saw him. "Thank God you're back!"

"What's wrong, Abby?" asked Ducky. Having just returned from the OR observation area, he knew that it couldn't be anything related to Gibbs or McGee. A quick glance over at the beds showed that Tony and Jimmy hadn't moved since he'd left. Both appeared to be dozing fitfully.  
"What's wrong?"

"They need me back at N.C.I.S., that's what's wrong, Ducky," said Abby, her pigtails jigging up and down as she paced back and forth. "The debris from the blast site is on the way in, and the Director wants it analyzed a.s.a.p!"

"And she ordered you back to take care of it?"

Abby stopped pacing and looked at him, "Worse...she asked me to come it..." Abby's face was gloomy. "She said that it could probably wait until morning, that if I was needed here then not to worry. But she doesn't know anything about forensics and some of the explosive residue could deteriorate overnight, or it could get contaminated if I'm not there to check on it, and if it degrades then we might lose valuable clues in figuring out what happened, and the Director said she could call in Doctor Sheridan from the University, but he's all thumbs and Dammit Ducky, I don't know what to do!"

Abby finally ran out of breath and Ducky held out his arms to her, pulling her in for a hug. "Abby, my dear girl, you must do what you think best. But you do know that there really isn't anything you can do for Jethro and Timothy at this present moment."

"But what about Tony and Jimmy?"

Ducky glanced across the room and sighed, "I'll be here to look after them. And Gibbs would probably want you to find out everything you can about the blast. I'm sure he'll be expecting a full report when he wakes up."

Ducky could feel Abby sigh heavily before she pulled away. "I guess so Ducky," she said finally. "But you promise you'll phone me as soon as there's any news? I don't care if it's the middle of the night...I'll probably be pulling an all nighter anyway...and even if I'm not...I don't think I'll be sleeping anyway"  
She gave Ducky a quick hug, "The guys are both asleep...I won't wake them...it took them long enough to settle down. Just tell them I'll be back as soon as I can."

Ducky waited until she had gone before settling himself back in his chair to resume his vigil once more.

-----------------------

Tony watched as the casket was lowered into the ground. Tears in his eyes, he turned to Ducky, "He promised me, Ducky...he gave me his word...he said he'd be here for me...and he lied...he lied to me Ducky, he's left me on my own, just like my father did...everybody I love goes away and leaves me..." He sank to his knees, hands digging in to the ground beneath him. "I won't let you go," he started sobbing, "I'm supposed to watch your six, how can I do that if you're gone somewhere I can't follow, Gibbs, don't leave me." Tony started to crawl towards the grave. "Dammit Gibbs, wait for me..." He reached the edge and flung himself over it...and started falling...falling...

Only to wake up and see Ducky staring down at him anxiously. "Tony, are you all right?" he asked. "You were tossing and turning and talking in your sleep."

Tony pushed himself up to a seated position, "Gibbs...he was dead...Ducky, I watched them bury him...please, please tell me it was just a dream...I can't...I can't bear it if he's dead, I'll die as well..." He felt a pair of arms wrap around him as he sobbed, "I love him Ducky, I love him so much...I can't lose him, not now...I can't do this alone...I don't even know if I can do it with him..." 

"Shh Tony," Ducky's voice was calm and reassuring. "Just let it out, you poor boy."

The storm of sobs passed eventually, and Ducky lowered Tony back down to the bed. "Feeling better?"

Tony nodded tiredly, "I'm sorry Ducky, I...I didn't mean to go all hormonal like that."

"Anthony DiNozzo, do not make excuses for yourself. You've been under so much stress...not just today, but over the last few months as well. You needed to let go, it's not good to keep things bottled up the way you do. It's not good for you or the baby." Ducky squeezed Tony's hand as he continued, "Tony, I was going to have to wake you anyway." He smiled reassuringly, "Gibbs's surgery went well, and they're moving him to Recovery. You'll be able to see him in about thirty or forty minutes."

"The hell with that, Ducky," said Tony, starting to sit up. "I'm not waiting that long..."

"Oh yes you will, Anthony," said Ducky in his most authoritative tone. "For one thing, no visitors are allowed in Recovery. You'll have to wait until they transfer him to I.C.U. And for another thing, you are not going anywhere until you've had something to eat and drink." He held up his hand to stop Tony's protests. "This is not a subject for discussion. One of the orderlies has kindly consented to picking up a pizza." He saw Tony's jaw drop, "Yes well, I'm not hard hearted enough to make you eat hospital food, and besides, an occasional treat does no harm." And the other reason, which Ducky wasn't going to say out loud, was that given Tony's lack of appetite over the previous hours, he had figured that he would need all the help he could get in tempting his taste buds. 

"Okay," said Tony. He started to relax against the bed, only to tense up again as he asked, "And McGee? How...how's he doing?"

Ducky glanced over at the other bed to where Jimmy's body had tensed visibly at the mention of McGee's name. "You can stop pretending to be asleep, Jimmy. Timothy's surgery is progressing nicely, he's still stable, and the surgeon expects to be closing up within the hour. And yes, I've ordered pizza for you as well. So both of you, get up, stretch your legs for a bit, and make sure and wash your hands before you eat!"

--------------------------

To be continued 


	18. Chapter 18

Title:Misconceptions 18?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. McGee and Gibbs were both injured following an explosion. Their pregnant partners - Jimmy and Tony - waited anxiously for news as they were operated on. Finally Ducky was able to bring them some good news.

Ducky glanced over at the other bed to where Jimmy's body had tensed visibly at the mention of McGee's name. "You can stop pretending to be asleep, Jimmy. Timothy's surgery is progressing nicely, he's still stable, and the surgeon expects to be closing up within the hour. And yes, I've ordered pizza for you as well. So both of you, get up, stretch your legs for a bit, and make sure and wash your hands before you eat!"

--------------------------

18

Jimmy rolled over in the bed and stretched lazily like a well-fed cat. "You are not going to believe the dream I just had, Tim," he said, a smile on his face as he felt around for his lover. The smile faded as he realized he was alone in the bed. Opening his eyes, Jimmy looked around him in confusion. This wasn't his bedroom...this wasn't his bed... The memory hit him like a ton of bricks as he realized that it hadn't been a dream...that Tim was really in hospital.

Jimmy had sat by McGee's side in the I.C.U. The doctors had told him that the surgery had gone well, but they wouldn't know until Tim regained consciousness, if they'd managed to stop the bleeding in time and prevent paralysis. All Jimmy could focus on was that Tim was alive...whatever his condition turned out to be, he was still alive. In the meantime however, McGee was lying there on the bed, a tube down his throat, and I.V. lines and drainage lines and Jimmy didn't know what else attached to him. He was almost afraid to hold McGee's hand, for fear of hurting him, and all too soon Ducky arrived to usher him out to the corridor.

Ducky had unashamedly played the guilt card, telling Jimmy that McGee was unlikely to regain consciousness before the morning. "How do you think Timothy will feel, waking up to find that you've been neglecting yourself, putting your health and that of your child at risk by not resting properly."

"And as for you, Anthony," Ducky had continued.

"Don't try to play the guilt card on me Ducky," warned Tony. "If...when Gibbs comes out of this, I'm not gonna care how pissed he is at me." He stood there, arms folded, eyeing Ducky defiantly.

"I completely understand, Tony," said Ducky, just before reaching up and swatting him on the back of the head.

"Yeouch, Ducky!" yelped Tony.

"I'm sorry Tony, but until Gibbs is in a position to resume his duties, I've appointed myself to keep swatting sense into you, as and when required. This situation is not debatable. I've spoken to the head nurse, and you will not be allowed back into the I.C.U. until I - as your medical advisor - confirm that you are both rested and fit and healthy, and not likely to expose the patients to anything."

"Ducky!" Both men protested this time, but to no avail. Ducky stood firm, and even if both Jimmy and Tony hadn't been exhausted both physically and emotionally, they wouldn't have been a match for him.

Jimmy remembered them all piling into a car, and Tony grumbling loudly about the lack of legroom in Ducky's new vehicle. He remembered Ducky threatening to leave Tony on the side of the road if he didn't stop complaining. And he remembered that just after that was when Tony started in with the 'Are we there yets'.

Once at the Mallard house, Ducky had insisted that both Jimmy and Tony have some warm milk, before shooing them both off to bed. The last thing Jimmy remembered was Tony declining Ducky's offer of a pair of pajama bottoms. "No offence Ducky, but the last thing I borrowed from you didn't exactly fit too well."

---------------

Jimmy sat up in the bed just as the door opened.

"Ah you're awake," said Ducky, as he came in pushing a small trolley. "Capital."

"Ducky!" said Jimmy, "The hospital...Tim...is...is there any news?"

"I've already phoned Bethesda this morning. Timothy spent a comfortable night," said Ducky. "I'll drive you both back there just as soon you've had something to eat."

Jimmy looked around the room and saw Tony curled up on the other bed. Ducky moved over to him and shook him gently, "Anthony, it's time to wake up."

"Go 'way, Ducky," mumbled Tony, "Just five more minutes." He pulled the bedclothes around him, and then tensed as he remembered where he was and why. "Gibbs!" Tony flung back the covers and scrambled clumsily out of the bed, "Ducky, is there any news?" He could see both Ducky and Jimmy staring at him, "What? What's going on? How's Gibbs?"

Ducky cleared his throat, "I'll update you on Gibbs's condition...but perhaps you might like to cover yourself up first?"

Tony looked down and realized he was naked. "Ooops, sorry guys," he said as he hurriedly sat back on the bed, pulling the covers over him. 

"Now," said Ducky, "As I said, I phoned the hospital earlier. Gibbs is being weaned off the anesthesia as we speak. The doctors expect him to regain consciousness in a few hours." He turned back to Jimmy, "And Timothy's condition is improving as well. He was extubated during and the night, and even woke up briefly later on; just long enough to ask the nurse on duty was it time to get up yet. Sensibly enough, she replied that he didn't have to get up just yet, and he went back to sleep."

"I should have been there for him," said Jimmy, his voice racked with guilt.

"You are the last person he needed to see there," said Ducky, firmly. "If you'd been there, Timothy would have been worried about you and would have felt obligated to try and stay awake. He needed rest, and so did you, and you as well Tony."

Tony stretched and yawned, "I think you're right Ducky. Never thought I'd get to sleep though, but I was out like a light once I hit the pillow."

"Me too," said Jimmy. 

"Ah yes," said Ducky, unashamedly. "That would probably be down to the warm milk...and the shot of whiskey I added to it."

"Ducky!" said Jimmy, in horror, "Alcohol?" he rubbed his stomach protectively.

"Yeah Ducky," said Tony. "I thought that was a no-no in our condition."

"Regular and excessive consumption of alcohol is most definitely contra-indicated during pregnancy, however, at your advanced state, in my medical opinion, the stress of a sleepless night would have been far more detrimental to you both. Now, I've prepared breakfast for both of you, and nobody is leaving this house until they've eaten. And I've hidden your clothing to make sure you don't sneak out while my back is turned."

Tony and Jimmy exchanged glances before Tony said with a grin, "What if I just stroll out of here buck naked?" He winked at Jimmy.

"You wouldn't," said Ducky.

"Oh wouldn't I?"

"No Tony," said Ducky, firmly, looking him square in the eye, "You wouldn't. Now, eat!"

-----------------------

To be continued 


	19. Chapter 19

Title:Misconceptions 19?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS - Gibbs and McGee were seriously injured, and Paula Cassidy killed during a mission. Gibbs and McGee both required emergency surgery at Bethesda. Ducky insisted that Tony and Jimmy spent the night at his place once their respective partners were out of surgery.

-----------------------

19

It was amazing how much better a full stomach made a person feel. Ducky had prepared a substantial array of food for breakfast, and although neither father to be admitted to much of an appetite, by the time they were finished, the breakfast trolley was very much depleted. He drove them both back to Bethesda and escorted them to the I.C.U.

-------------------------

Jimmy sat by McGee's bedside, holding his hand, careful not to dislodge his I.V. line. 

The Doctor in charge had told him that everything was looking good. "We'll have to run some tests on him when he wakes up, but we removed the clot, he's stable and growing stronger."

"Will...will he walk again?" Jimmy was slightly more in control than he had been the previous night, but not by a lot. "Please Doctor, I need to know the truth."

"I'm optimistic, but as I said, we'll know more when he wakes up."

Ducky had helped Jimmy into a visitor's gown, "Timothy is young and healthy, Jimmy. The odds are stacked in his favor."

And that was as much as Jimmy had been able to find out. But for now, his Tim was alive and wasn't going to die and that was more than he'd been able to hope for the previous day. Now it was just a question of waiting. Jimmy wanted nothing more than to shake Tim...not just to wake him, but also to shake him for all the stress he'd caused. "I love you Tim," said Jimmy, "But if you ever scare me like that again..."

"You...you'll what?"

"Tim!"

McGee's eyes were bleary and unfocused, but they were open. He blinked in confusion. "What...what happened?"

"Oh Tim, you're awake...I thought I'd never see you again..." Jimmy kissed McGee's hand and then decided, what the heck. Leaning over, he kissed McGee gently on the lips, only stopping when the other man groaned slightly.

Pulling back, Jimmy said quickly, "Are you okay? Did I hurt you, oh God, let me call the doctor!"

"It...it's okay..." said McGee. "It's just...my legs...they're aching so bad..."

Jimmy's eyes widened, "You...you can feel them?" He moved towards the foot of the bed and squeezed McGee's uninjured foot. "You can feel this? You can move it?"

"Ouch, yes...what...what's wrong?"

Jimmy returned to the head of the bed. Taking McGee's hand in his, he said softly, "Nothing's wrong...in fact, everything's going to be all right..."

-------------------------

At Gibbs's bedside, Tony wasn't quite so optimistic as Jimmy. The Doctor had started in on explaining Gibbs's situation. After about two sentences, Tony had turned to Ducky, "I don't understand Ducky, what's he saying? Is Gibbs gonna be okay or not? I thought once the surgery was done and they turned off the drugs then he'd wake up and be fine?"

Ducky sighed, "The surgery did remove the pressure on his brain, and while it looks as if they got to it in time, they'll have to wait until he's fully conscious before they can be sure."

"So he could still be a vegetable, even after this op?" Tony ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "You said he'd be okay, you said that the op would work. Why did I let him have the op if it wasn't gonna work?" he asked accusingly. 

"The odds are in Jethro's favor," said Ducky, calmly and reassuringly. "And certainly, having the operation substantially increased those odds." He put his hand on Tony's arm, trying to calm him. "But as with any surgery of this nature, its success or lack thereof can only be judged when the patient regains consciousness."

"And when will that be?"

But neither Ducky nor the surgeon had been able to give Tony a clear answer. The surgeon had hemmed and hawed and said that everybody reacted differently to the drugs, so they couldn't give a definite time when Gibbs would wake up. 

So now Tony sat by Gibbs's bed, waiting. 

The tube down Gibbs's throat scared Tony. He knew enough about medicine to know that they only did that when a patient couldn't breathe for himself. And while Ducky had assured him that it was just as a precautionary measure, Tony still didn't like it...didn't like the implication that Gibbs needed any help like that...didn't like to even think of the possibility that Gibbs might always need that tube...that he might never wake up again...

"Goddammit, Gibbs, you promised me!" Tony got up and started pacing beside the bed. "You son of a bitch, you gave me your word that you'd be there for me...you know I can't do this on my own." He wanted to punch his fist through the wall but instead he leaned against it, breathing heavily. "You lied to me...you said you'd be there, you bastard!" Glancing up, Tony could see the nurse on duty approach, attracted by his raised voice. "It's okay...I'm okay...we're good," he said quickly. "I'll be quiet..." 

Tony sat down quickly in the chair and waited until the nurse had checked all the machines and then left him alone again.

With a sob, Tony leaned against the bed, head resting against Gibbs's chest, feeling it rise and fall with a regularity that no human could lay claim to...not even Gibbs. "You promised me, Gibbs," he sobbed, "You gave me your word that you'd be there for me...you promised me. Don't leave me now, I need you...I love you...please come back to me...to us...your baby needs a second parent...I'm no good on my own...no good without you...I can't do this without you...please Gibbs, don't leave me...don't leave us..." He lay there exhausted, too heartsick to move. Wondering if this was it...if this was where he started life as a single parent. There was a hollow feeling in the pit of Tony's stomach as he lay there with his eyes shut.

The tap on the top of his head made Tony open his eyes again. "What the..." He lifted his head and through tear filled eyes he saw Gibbs...his eyes were barely open, but he was looking at Tony...and he knew him.

"Oh God, Jethro!" Tony grabbed the hand which had tapped him. "You're awake...you're awake..." Even with a tube down his throat, Tony could still see an exasperated expression appear on Gibbs's face. "Okay, okay, guess you know that already. Just stay put...I'll get the doc's, they'll get that tube out." Tony turned as if to go, but Gibbs's hand caught his arm and stopped him.  
"What is it, Jethro?"

In reply, Gibbs hand shakily pointed to himself...then his heart...and then towards Tony.

Tony could feel his eyes welling up with tears again as he said, "And I love you too!"

-----------------------

The days passed. Ziva was released after twenty-four hours observation and was back at work a few days later, working side by side with Cassidy Yates to pick up the pieces after the incident. Director Shepherd's plans for covering her major case squad during their anticipated parental leave had had to be swung into action a little earlier than she had anticipated. 

Meanwhile, Gibbs and McGee recovered in hospital. Gibbs however insisted on being temporarily released in order to attend Paula Cassidy's funeral. It was a somber affair. Several of the agents attending bore the scars of the mission that had resulted in her death, and Gibbs was not in a good mood when he returned to Bethesda.

This was of course partly due to the fact that he'd been hoping to avoid returning to the hospital once he'd gotten out the doors. But his doctor had only consented to his leaving for the funeral on the condition that he stayed in a wheelchair throughout, and was returned promptly. Ducky was on hand to make sure that he obeyed. The fact that Gibbs was still very unsteady on his feet was the only reason he hadn't objected, sure that he'd be able to convince Ducky to bring him home rather than back to Bethesda.

But with Ducky and Tony ganging up on him, Gibbs had been returned to the care of the nurses. He'd complained of course, but Tony had just stuck his fingers in his ears going "La la la, can't hear you, Boss" and stayed sufficiently far away from Gibbs to avoid being swatted. 

Gibbs had put up with it, albeit reluctantly, but as he lay in his bed, exhausted from the day's events, he had to admit that he probably wasn't in good enough shape to go home just yet. 

---------------------------

Tony sat by Gibbs's bed, a position he'd only left to eat and sleep and use the head over the past few days. "So Ducky, when you do think they'll be kicking this pair out of here?" He nodded over at the second bed in the room where McGee was resting. "Me and Jimmy have a bet going on which of them the nurses will get fed up with first."

Jimmy had a look of indignation on his face as he said, "I never! Tim, I wouldn't bet on that." He squeezed Tim's hand, "Besides, I know you'd never annoy the nurses."

"Regarding your impending departure from Bethesda," said Ducky, a serious expression on his face. "I have been speaking to both your doctors on that matter, and they have expressed some concerns."

All four faces in front of him looked puzzled, but Gibbs was the one to speak on their behalf, "What sort of 'concerns', Ducky?" he growled. 

"They're merely worried as to where you will be convalescing, and who will be looking after you while you do so."

"But I was going to look after Tim," said Jimmy. "Doctor Holliday said that I could start my parental leave early, and he'll be back on his feet before the baby arrives..." His voice trailed off and he swallowed hard before continuing, "Won't he?"

"And I was gonna take some time to look after Gibbs," said Tony.

"I won't need looking after," grumbled Gibbs. "I'll be back at work soon enough anyway."

"That's as may be," said Ducky, "But I should inform you that Security has been ordered not to let either of you in the building until you've been fully cleared by your respective Doctors."

"Ducky!"

"Don't use that tone of voice on me Jethro," said Ducky severely. "In any event, you will both require some time for convalescing before you return to work, and the doctors are worried about your support network, consisting as it does of a heavily pregnant partner apiece." He held up his hands to stave off both Jimmy and Tony who were loudly protesting that they were quite capable of looking after their respective lovers. "Children, do settle down, please." Ducky waited for silence before continuing. "Now, their main concerns are the fact you Timothy will be on crutches until your leg heals, and you Jethro will probably have some balance problems for some time. You did after all have brain surgery only a week ago, and should you fall, Tony isn't exactly the best person to be trying to pick you up. As for you Timothy, you live on the third floor of a building without elevators. Do you really think it fair to Jimmy to have to help you up the stairs in his condition?"

"No Ducky," mumbled McGee. "So what are you saying? Are the doc's gonna keep us in for longer, until we're both fully fit?"

"The hell they are," muttered Gibbs.

"Language Jethro, you do know that studies have shown that babies in utero can pick up on sounds and voices. I recall several studies where expectant parents were encouraged to play classical music to their children to see whether they would recognize it when born. The results were most fasci..."

"DUCKY!" All four men interrupted him.

"Ah yes," said Ducky, a smile on his face. "As I was saying, your doctors were reluctant to have you released into an environment that would not facilitate your recovery. However, they were even more reluctant to keep you here longer than necessary. I believe the exact words from one of them was 'just get that man the hell out of here'...although I can't remember which of them used that phrase."

"I think we can all guess," muttered Tony. He grinned cheekily at Gibbs, having carefully positioned himself on Gibbs's left side...the one with the broken collarbone...and out of swatting reach of Gibbs's good arm.

"In any event, I was able to come up with a solution which I hope will meet with your approval." Ducky took off his glasses and cleaned them, enjoying the way all the occupants of the room were hanging on his every word. "As I was saying, I put forth a solution to which your doctors were most agreeable with. Namely that you come home with me until you're fit again."

The other four exchanged glances, Tony being the first one to react, "Um Ducky, don't take this the wrong way, but you really think you'd be able to pick up McGee if he fell off his crutches? I mean, he's kinda been packing on the pounds since he's been laid up...yeouch!" Tony yelped and turned round to glare indignantly at Jimmy. "Don't do that!"

"Don't insult my guy," said Jimmy, defiantly. 

"Children, please!" said Ducky. "Your concerns are well noted Anthony, which is why I've been in contact with the nursing agency that supplied the day nurses for Mother with regard to having a nurse on duty to assist me while both you and Jimmy are at work." He held up his hands to stave off even more protests, "Yes, I know you'd both rather be taking care of your partner's than working, but there are limits to what you can do for them. However, that can be sorted out among yourselves. There's plenty of room at my house for all four of you and I...I'd be delighted to have the company."

----------------------------

To be continued 


	20. Chapter 20

Title:Misconceptions Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Gibbs and McGee recovered in hospital with Tony and Jimmy by their sides. Ducky invited all four to move in with him during the convalescent period.

"Children, please!" said Ducky. "Your concerns are well noted Anthony, which is why I've been in contact with the nursing agency that supplied the day nurses for Mother with regard to having a nurse on duty to assist me while both you and Jimmy are at work." He held up his hands to stave off even more protests, "Yes, I know you'd both rather be taking care of your partner's than working, but there are limits to what you can do for them. However, that can be sorted out among yourselves. There's plenty of room at my house for all four of you and I...I'd be delighted to have the company."

----------------------------

20

"Oh dear," said Ducky as he escorted Tony and Jimmy towards the parking garage. "I believe I left my hat back upstairs."

"Oh I'll get it for you Ducky," offered Jimmy.

"That's quite all right," said Ducky. He handed the car keys to Tony. "You two go along and settle yourselves in the car. I'll catch up with you."

Jimmy and Tony watched as Ducky re-entered the elevator. 

Tony was the first to speak, "Five bucks says he's going to tell Gibbs and McGee to send us back to work."

"No bet," said Jimmy. He hesitated before continuing, "Do you think he's right though? I mean, it'll only be a few weeks...they're not going to be incapacitated for longer than that...are they?"

Tony shrugged, "You know more about medicine and stuff than I do. But I know Gibbs, and it won't be even that long if he has anything to say about it. But with Ducky and a nurse looking after them...I guess they'd be in better hands than ours...medically speaking. So unless we want to be sitting around knitting booties all day...maybe going back to work for another few weeks might be okay."

Jimmy made a face, "I suppose we don't need to tell them that we're in agreement with the suggestion...not immediately anyway. After what they've put us through the last few days...I think we deserve a bit of gentle persuasion." He winked at Tony.

"Jimmy my boy," said Tony, putting his arm around him as they headed for the parking garage. "You're learning kiddo!"

-----------------------

As predicted, Ducky was indeed using his trip back to Gibbs's and McGee's room to put forward the case for Jimmy and Tony to return to work. "For one thing, do you really think they'd be content to sit by and watch as somebody else tends to you both? I know them, they'll be insisting on helping, maybe even trying too hard and overstraining themselves. And there are other considerations as well. Being a full time caregiver for someone is enough to put stress on even the strongest of relationships. Some time apart each day, even if only for a few hours, will benefit you both." 

"You make a convincing argument," grumbled Gibbs. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed. "But what's Tony supposed to do at work all day? The team," he waved his hand at McGee. "We're not exactly acting at full strength here. Cassidy's the only one cleared for field duty and she's been assigned to work with another team."

"Director Shepherd was kind enough to run a suggestion by me. She feels that there are a lot of 'cold cases' on our books that could do with being revisited. You know that Forensic science and medicine has made amazing advances over the last decade. Why I was only reading the other day about a thirty year old case that was..."

"Ducky!" this time it was McGee who interrupted. 

"Ah yes, anyway, Director Shepherd feels that perhaps it's time for some of these cases to be looked at with a fresh pair of eyes. Of course there'll have to be a lot of reading and research done on the files in order to see if there's any that would benefit from being re-opened."

"You mean a lot of desk work?" asked Gibbs. "Stuff that wouldn't wear out a guy who's supposed to be taking it easy?"

"Yes, and of course having a trained Autopsy assistant to help interpret medical records and autopsy reports would be invaluable as well. Why, by the time both of you are cleared to return to work...to desk duty, I'm sure that between them they'll have come up with a few cases to keep you busy until you're cleared to return to the field."

"And Ziva?" asked Gibbs, mulling the whole idea over in his mind. 

"She's on desk duty until her cast is removed. That'll be another four to six weeks. At the moment she's working with the translation department lending them her language skills, but once she's fit for field work she'll be back with you."

"You seem to have everything all figured out." Gibbs didn't know why he was being so grumpy. On the face of it, it seemed like a perfect arrangement. Tony would be safe at N.C.I.S...or at least as safe as he could be anywhere. And while looking through old files might not be the most interesting thing he could be doing, at least it wouldn't be physically demanding. 

"Well somebody had to get things sorted out while you two were lazing about," said Ducky, acerbically. "Look, I know that both Jimmy and Tony will have to make up their own minds on the subject, but I also know that they will both look to you for guidance. All I ask is that you think of what would be best for them. At this stage in their pregnancies, the last thing they need is to be playing nursemaid 24/7. Some time apart will benefit all concerned."

-------------------------

Ducky's arguments were more than convincing. So it came to pass that when McGee and Gibbs were released from Bethesda, Jimmy and Tony took two more days leave to help settle them in at Ducky's house and then returned to work. 

Life soon settled into a comfortable routine at Ducky's house. Granted, there were a few teething troubles. All that testosterone sloshing about under one roof...not to mention a double dose of pregnancy hormones, there were bound to be a few occasions when things didn't run smoothly. 

Gibbs was no sooner in the door than he was refusing point blank to use the stair lift that had been installed a few months prior to Mrs. Mallard's death.  
"I can take the stairs just fine," he had growled at Ducky. 

They were all seated in Ducky's living room and he was explaining a few things to his guests. 

Ducky sighed inwardly. He knew that Jethro was merely trying to reassert some of the authority that had been stripped away from him as a result of his injuries and subsequent hospitalization. He fully understood why a man like Gibbs would need to lay down the law and restore his command as soon as possible. But that didn't mean he had to be a bastard about it. And it certainly didn't mean that Ducky had to let him do it. "Jethro might be an overbearing son of a bitch at times," thought Ducky, hiding a mischievous grin, "But when it comes to deviousness and manipulation...he's just a child compared to me." 

Out loud he said, "Of course you don't have to use the stair lift, Jethro. However, perhaps you will indulge an old man in his own home. I would really feel much happier if you did not use the stairs at all." Ducky looked Gibbs carefully in the eye, "It'll be no trouble for me to make up a bed downstairs in Mother's old room, and then you won't have to go upstairs at all."

"Of course," added Ducky, as he turned away, "It will have to be a single bed...as opposed to the double bed that's already made up for you and Anthony upstairs. But I'm sure he won't mind having all that space to himself."

It hadn't taken Gibbs long to decide that the minor humiliation of having to use the stair lift was better than being deprived of Tony's company at night. After so many nights spent in the hospital, Gibbs never wanted to sleep in a single bed again.

The other three guests had no problem agreeing to use the stair lift...in Tony's case, the problem was getting him to stop using it. The first few days he kept 'forgetting' to bring things down from his bedroom, just to have an excuse to go zooming up and down again. Even though Ducky had told him that the 'no stairs' rule was optional as long as Tony felt up to it, Tony had insisted on keeping to it. "What applies to Gibbs applies to me too, Ducky," he'd said with a grin. "Wouldn't be fair to have him stuck in the chair and me strolling up and down the stairs."

Gibbs was also initially frustrated at having to stay away from N.C.I.S., but soon realized that until his energy levels improved, not to mention his balance, he would be more of a liability than an asset to the team. He got through the first week without too many problems, mainly because he slept a lot of the time when Tony was at work, and conserved his energy for when he returned home. 

Working the cold cases meant that Tony and Jimmy's hours were more regular, and most evenings Ducky had a home-cooked meal on the table for all his guests when they got home. Abby and Ziva were invited to join in on more than one occasion, and all in all it was a pleasant time.

Naturally of course, it didn't last. 

-------------------------

To be continued 


	21. Chapter 21

Title:Misconceptions 21?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Tissues may be required for this part

Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS - Gibbs and McGee were discharged from hospital and together with Tony and Jimmy, moved into Ducky's house for a period of convalescence. A new cold case team consisting of Tony and Jimmy had been set up at NCIS.

Working the cold cases meant that Tony and Jimmy's hours were more regular, and most evenings Ducky had a home-cooked meal on the table for all his guests when they got home. Abby and Ziva were invited to join in on more than one occasion, and all in all it was a pleasant time.

Naturally of course, it didn't last. 

-------------------------

21

"Jethro, are you sure about this?" Ducky asked as Gibbs carried a bag out to the car.

"I know what I'm doing Ducky," said Gibbs, dropping the bag in the trunk. "I appreciate all you've done for Tony and me over the last few weeks, but it's time for things to get back to normal. I'm cleared for work..."

"Desk duty only," Ducky pointed out.

"Whatever." Gibbs slammed the trunk shut. "I haven't had a dizzy spell in almost a week. I know I'm not one hundred percent...yet. But it's time I was back in my own place. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"You know you'd never do that, Jethro." Ducky smiled fondly at him. "It's been more than a pleasure to have company these past few weeks."

"Thanks Ducky, but it is time for me and Tony to go home. There's still some stuff...stuff we have to deal with before the baby comes, and no offence, but I'd rather do it without an audience." He nodded towards the front door where Tony was busy giving McGee such a big hug that he almost knocked him off his crutches.

"Tony!" protested McGee, "I'll see you at work on Monday!"

"I know, but I'll miss you guys!" Tony let go of McGee and then hugged Jimmy as best he could with their bumps in the way. He let go finally and headed towards the car, stopping to bid farewell to Ducky on the way.

"Look after them, Ducky," said Tony as he accepted a hug from the older man.

"Of course, Tony," said Ducky. "And you look after yourself...and Jethro of course!"

"DiNozzo!" growled Gibbs, "Get your ass in the car now, or I'm leaving without you!"

"Not without these you won't!" retorted Tony, waving the car keys at him. "Remember, the doc said no driving for another few weeks." He added in an aside to Ducky, "Probably just as well, cause I don't think I'll fit behind the wheel in another week or two!"

"DiNozzo!"

----------------------

Ducky watched as they drove off, and then turned back towards the house. "So," he said to Jimmy and McGee, "I suppose you two will be the next to flee the nest?"

The two exchanged glances. McGee was the first to speak, "Well actually Ducky...since I'm going to be on crutches for another few weeks..."

"We were wondering," said Jimmy.

"If you wouldn't mind that is," added McGee.

"Putting up with us for a little longer..."

"My dear boys," said Ducky, smiling warmly. "You are both welcome to stay as long as you need to. There's plenty of room in this place for three...and four if you want to stay after your child is born."

"You really mean it?" Jimmy's eyes were wide with wonder. "I mean, we weren't trying to hint at that..."

"And we don't want to impose, really."

"It would be no imposition. I've gotten used to the company this past few weeks, and I would love to have you stay."

--------------------------------

"So...what was so important that you just had to get home, mmm?" asked Tony as he curled up on the bed beside Gibbs. "I mean, apart from getting a bit of privacy."

They'd spent a lazy afternoon making out and other things, on Gibbs's bed like a couple of horny teenagers, before falling asleep in each other's arms. Even though they'd had a room to themselves at Ducky's house, they had always been conscious of the fact that there were other people under the same roof, and it had cramped their style somewhat. Not that they could get up to much, what with Tony's pregnancy bump and Gibbs still not back to his full fitness. But with a little imagination and creativity they'd still managed to have some fun.

"Come with me," said Gibbs, sitting up and pulling Tony's hand.

"Do I have to?"

A pair of sweatpants in the face was the only reply he got, so Tony pushed himself off the bed and pulled them on, together with a t-shirt and some shoes. Gibbs dressed quickly as well, and led Tony downstairs to the hall, and then to the basement door.

"I thought I wasn't allowed down there?" said Tony, as Gibbs opened the door. "In case I fell on the stairs or something."

"I just want to show you something," said Gibbs.

Tony shrugged and followed him down the steps.

"Sit here," said Gibbs, indicating a bench near the end of the boat. 

Tony sat down astride it facing the boat, and Gibbs sat down behind him.

"It's time you learned how to work with wood," said Gibbs, picking up a plane.

Tony grinned as he leaned back against Gibbs. "I think I'm pretty familiar with working with 'wood'!"

Gibbs kissed him on the back of the neck. "You need to have a feel for the wood..." He took Tony's hands and placed them on the plane, guiding it along the side of the boat. "Feel that?"

"Yeah," said Tony. "Nice..."

"That's it," said Gibbs, taking his hands away. "Not too hard, you don't want to take off too many layers"  
He let Tony do a few more strokes before taking the plane away from him.  
"Tony..."

"Yeah Gibbs?" said Tony, lazily. He wasn't sure why Gibbs had gotten it into his head to bring him down here, but right now, with Gibbs chest pressed into his back, and his arms snugly around him, he didn't really care.

"I used to bring Kelly down here...taught her a little about building a boat."

"You know," said Tony, "Some people might say it's not exactly appropriate to be mentioning former girlfriends in a situation like this." He clasped Gibbs's hands in his.

"Kelly wasn't a girlfriend...she was my daughter..." 

"What...what are you saying Gibbs?" Tony tried to pull away but Gibbs held him firm. "You...you have a kid already?" His heart was pounding a mile a minute, unable to believe or understand what Gibbs was saying. 

Gibbs rested his head on Tony's shoulder. "I had a daughter..." He sighed heavily. "Her name was Kelly...and she was beautiful. Shannon nearly died while having her, that's why we couldn't take the chance on having a second child, but Kelly was we ever wanted...all we needed. And then one day..." Tears were pricking at Gibbs eyes, but he knew he had to continue. He needed to be honest with Tony, about everything...to lay all his cards on the table and let Tony decide their future. "She was six years old...just a baby...she hadn't even begun to live...and some bastard of a terrorist decided he didn't like what N.C.I.S. was doing to his cell...what I was doing...so he took a sniper rifle and he..." Tears were flowing freely now. "He targeted my wife and child...Kelly died...Shannon barely survived...and there wasn't a think I could do to stop it..." Gibbs took a deep gulping breath to get his emotions under control. "I couldn't stop him...I couldn't save Kelly...the best damn thing that had happened in my life, and I couldn't protect her. Tony, I'm scared that someday another bastard with a grudge will come looking for me and you and our child will get in the way. And I wouldn't blame you if you're not prepared to take that risk. If you want to walk out that door and out of the line of fire...I won't stop you...I just...I just wanted you to know the truth...the whole truth..."

"Oh God...Gibbs..." Tony maneuvered himself around on the bench until he was able to put his arms around him. "I'm so sorry...I didn't know..."

"You had no way of knowing...I should have told you before...I was afraid you'd blame me..."

Tony clasped Gibbs's face in his hands, "How can you even think that? What happened to Kelly...that was not your fault."

"Yes it was," said Gibbs, pulling away from Tony. "And it could happen again. I've made a lot of enemies over the years, but it was Shannon and Kelly that paid the price...and I don't want to see it happen again. I don't want to lose another family because I'm walking round with a target on my back."

"You're not the only one in this family who could be a target," said Tony. "You think Chip was the only freak out there with a grudge against me? The world is full of people who'd like to hurt us." He pulled Gibbs back into his arm and kissed him gently on the lips before saying, "But the two of us together...maybe between us we can make this world a little safer...for us...for our child..."

Gibbs hugged him close, "I should have told you before, I just kept putting it off. I was afraid that once you knew the risks...I thought you'd want to get as far away from me as possible, and I didn't want to lose you. But you deserve to know the truth...and if you wanted to leave...I can't say I'd blame you..."

"I am not leaving you..." Tony held on to Gibbs as though he'd never let him go. "I love you Gibbs...you, me, the baby. We're a family...and family's stick together...I may not have had the best example growing up, but I know what a family should be..." He could feel Gibbs relaxing against him, and for a few minutes they sat there in silent comfort.

Gibbs was the first to move, pulling slightly away from Tony and reaching into his pocket. "Well if you're sure you're not going anywhere...then maybe you'll be needing this..." He pressed something into Tony's hand.

Tony looked down to see a small, finely carved, wooden ring. Wordlessly he looked up at Gibbs in puzzlement.

"It may not fit...I can pare it down a bit if it's too small."

"I don't understand...what are you saying?"

"I'm saying...I'm asking...Tony, will you marry me?"

"I...I...I don't know what to say?" Tony looked at the ring and then at Gibbs. 

"You don't have to make a decision now," said Gibbs, "Just...just think about it okay?"

Tony shook his head, "I don't need to think about it." He flung his arms around Gibbs and kissed him soundly on the lips, not holding back this time, "Yes, damnit, yes!"

It was some time later, and back in the bedroom, before either man was in the mood for more talking. Gibbs sat up against the headboard, Tony's head resting in his lap as he stroked his lover's hair.

"So," said Tony, idly as he played with his new ring. "When did you plan on tying the knot?"

"It's a five day waiting period in this district," said Gibbs. "I figure I get the paperwork sorted on Monday, find a judge...we could be married by the end of the week." He paused before continuing, "If you're okay with a small wedding. I mean, we can always wait till Junior's safely docked and take our time in planning it."

Tony looked up at Gibbs, "You'd rather it was soon and simple, hmm?"

Gibbs shrugged, "I did the whole white wedding bash with Shannon. Her choice, not mine. We spent the first two years of married life just paying the damn thing off. Diane wanted a big do as well. I've been there, done that...but I'll do it all again with you if you want."

Tony shook his head, "Nah, so long as it's you and me...we don't need anything else. It's not as if my folks would be showing up anyway. And in my condition...don't think a 'white' wedding would be all that appropriate!" He rubbed his belly and grinned. "So, you, me...what else...a best man or two? Dib's on McGee. Who do you want?"

"I'm sure Ducky won't mind doing it again. Although he'd better remember the rings this time!"

"He'll probably give you a nice long story about the origin of wedding rings and stuff before he hands them over." Tony grinned evilly. "I just thought of one advantage to getting hitched before I give birth."

"And what's that?"

"We'll only have one bastard in the family!" Tony laughed as Gibbs swatted him gently on the head. "Okay then, you sort out the paperwork...I'll sort out the tuxes. Speaking of rings, is this a wedding or an engagement ring?"

"Either...both...we can get pick up some gold bands if you think they'd be more comfortable. I just wanted to have something to give you..."

"Cool!" Tony tried to slide the ring onto his finger but it was just a little snug. "Drat..."

"It's okay, I can pare it down. Of course your fingers would be a little less pudgy if you didn't eat so many of Abby's doughnuts!"

Tony gasped in surprise, "How did you know?"

Gibbs grinned as he stroked Tony's face, "Because every time you came back from a visit to Abby...you always tasted like sugar!"

-  
To be continued 


	22. Chapter 22

Title:Misconceptions 22?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Gibbs and McGee spent their sick leave at Ducky's house along with Tony and Jimmy. Gibbs and Tony moved back to Gibbs's house, where Gibbs proposed to Tony and Tony accepted. Meanwhile, Ducky invited McGee and Jimmy to stay with him as long as they wished.

"It's okay, I can pare it down. Of course your fingers would be a little less pudgy if you didn't eat so many of Abby's doughnuts!"

Tony gasped in surprise, "How did you know?"

Gibbs grinned as he stroked Tony's face, "Because every time you came back from a visit to Abby...you always tasted like sugar!" 

-  
22

Looking back on the day, Tony had to admit that it was one of the more sedate and simple weddings he'd been at. The ceremonies he'd attended, as a kid had been family weddings where it seemed more important to show how much money had been spent on the occasion than anything else. Even as a grown up, many of his friends had seemed to view their weddings as a chance to have one final mega party before settling down to the humdrum routine of married life. Tony didn't think he'd been to a wedding with so few guests or so little dancing.

But then, considering that the wedding party had included two pregnant men, three agents in various stages of recovery from their injuries and a retired M.E., it was hardly surprising that there weren't that many hijinks. Abby was about the only member of their group not encumbered by pregnancy or injuries or age. For that reason, as well as the short notice, only a small dinner party afterwards had been planned. Just the immediate NCIS 'family' was there...a group that had been through so much in the last few months. 

Tony still couldn't believe that it had all happened so quickly. Less than a week after Gibbs's proposal and here he was with a wedding band on his finger, waiting as his husband made his way across the room to join him at the window. His husband...he didn't think he'd ever get tired of those words.

Tony had teased Gibbs about how smoothly all the organizing had gone. "But then, I suppose it does help to have done this three times before."

"Not really," Gibbs had said with a wry smile, "My other fiancées did most of the organizing. Pretty much all I had to do was turn up." 

Tony sipped his fruit juice and looked out the window. That was another difference between this and any other wedding Tony had been to. Apart from a single bottle of champagne, which had been used to toast the happy couple, it was a strictly non-alcoholic event. Ducky had confirmed that a single glass apiece was highly unlikely to have any adverse effects on Jimmy and Tony's pregnancies, but the rest of the toasts had been washed down with nothing stronger than lemonade. 

Tony wouldn't have begrudged anybody a drink if they'd wanted it, but Gibbs had insisted. He'd sworn off alcohol a few months earlier, telling Tony gruffly one night that since he wasn't allowed alcohol for the duration, it wasn't exactly fair for Gibbs to be drinking in front of him. Tony being Tony, he of course had suggested to Gibbs that maybe he should give up coffee as well. He had expected Gibbs to turn him down flat, but to his surprise and delight, Gibbs had offered to do it. And Tony knew he was sincere. That one simple gesture had said more to Tony about the value Gibbs placed on their relationship than anything else. 

He hadn't taken Gibbs up on the offer of course, because no matter how genuine it was, Tony knew that Gibbs without his coffee was not a pretty sight. "You'd be hell to deal with if you didn't have your coffee," Tony had teased him. "I don't want Junior to come out with an extreme vocabulary just because his Daddy's been decaffeinated!"

"Hey," said Gibbs, as he approached Tony. "You shouldn't be over here, you'll catch a chill." He nodded towards the window. 

"Just admiring the view," said Tony. "And it's just gotten even better." 

Gibbs gently caressed Tony's cheek before pulling him in for a kiss. 

--------------------

Later that evening, both men relaxed in their 'honeymoon' suite. Their original plan had been for them to return to Tony's apartment after the party ended, but Ducky had called in a few favors and organized a room in the hotel where they'd dined. "Call it my wedding gift to you," he had said. 

Gibbs had tried to protest, but Ducky had ignored him, "Jethro, there are some traditions that should not be dispensed with, and while I know that of necessity it will only be a short break, you two deserve at least one night of a honeymoon away from all the stresses of ordinary life."

That hadn't been the only surprise of the day. During the toasts, Ducky had turned to McGee and teasingly asked him, "So when are you going to make an honest man out of Jimmy?"

"Next summer," McGee had answered, unhesitatingly. "We uh...decided it today."

The congratulations had flowed as freely as the fruit juice. Abby was the first one to ask, "But why are you waiting so long?" she'd pouted. "I want a party before then!"

Jimmy had grinned, "Have to wait for me to lose all my pregnancy weight first!"

-----------------------

Tony sighed as he lay in Gibbs's arms. "Sometimes I feel like we're cursed...so much bad stuff has happened since I told you I was pregnant. Jimmy getting hurt...Mrs. Mallard dying...Paula. The explosion... Sometimes I'm scared that...that things are going to keep going wrong and..." Tony couldn't even put the thought into words, but the beauty of being with Gibbs was that he didn't always need to. He could feel his husband's hands move protectively down to the bump.

"Tony," said Gibbs, gently. "Jimmy getting hurt was an accident. It was down to my bad temper, and nothing else. Mrs. Mallard...we should all be so lucky to have as full a life and as peaceful a death as she had. Paula..." He sighed, "Yes, she was unlucky, but it goes with the job. Maybe there's a run of bad luck in there somewhere...and maybe we've just gotten all our bad luck out of the way now, so that things will go smoothly for us and the baby from here on in."

Tony twisted around so he could look at Gibbs, "Never really saw you as a glass half full type, Jethro."

"No...I'm more the 'who the hell drank half my glass' type,"

Tony laughed as Gibbs continued. "You may think we've been unlucky...but every time I look at you..." He cupped Tony's cheek in his hand, "Every time I see you, I can't believe how lucky I am. My glass isn't half full or half empty...it's full to the brim and running over."

"Oh Jethro," Tony scooched around until he was sitting astride Gibbs. Leaning forward he kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm the lucky one...I've got you...the baby...a job I love, working side by side with the man I love..." His voice trailed off as he registered a barely perceptible change in Gibbs. Only somebody who had lived and worked side by side with the man for so long would have picked up on it. 

Tony sat back. "What is it, Jethro?" he asked softly. "What is it you're not telling me?" 

Gibbs looked away and sighed before turning back to Tony. "I thought we could enjoy at least one night of married life before we had to come back to reality."

Tony slid off of Gibbs and stretched out beside him. Looking up at the ceiling, he said, "And I thought we were going to be honest with each other. You're hiding something...I can tell. "

Gibbs gently stroked Tony's belly. "I'm not hiding anything...I've just been thinking about a few things...decisions that need to be made."

Tony glanced over at him, "I'm your husband Gibbs. Decisions...important decisions...anything that affects you, affects me." He put his hand on top of Gibbs's, "Affects all three of us."

Gibbs leaned over and kissed him, "I know. And I wasn't going to decide anything without running it by you first. I just wanted to think things through a little before saying anything."

"And what have you thought?"

"We need to start making plans. What we're going to do once the baby comes. Hell, we still haven't figured out where we're gonna live, let alone who'll look after the baby when it's born."

"But we don't have to sort that out yet, right?" said Tony, hesitantly. "I'll be on leave for a few months...can't we deal with it when that time's up?"

"Tony, we've been putting this off for long enough. I know...I know it's partly my fault...I haven't exactly made it easy for you to talk to me. And I admit that I've been putting off the issue as well. But it's time we dealt with it. Some things can't be left until the last minute."

"So what...what do you have in mind?" Tony didn't really want to discuss this now...hell; he didn't want to discuss this anytime soon. At the back of his mind, he'd always known that they'd have to have this conversation sooner or later...but when Gibbs hadn't raised the issue, Tony had been just as happy to let it slide. It wasn't that he wasn't looking forward to the future...to the day he'd be able to hold his baby in his arms...but all this making plans and stuff...it reminded him every day that he was going to be responsible for this child...and he was scared as hell of screwing it up.

"That depends. You'll have your parental leave, that'll be a few months...but sooner or later, you'll be back at work. We both will."

"We could find a child minder...or get a nanny, I guess," said Tony, hesitantly. He knew all about nannies. Hell, he'd practically been raised by them. 

"I don't really like the thought of somebody I don't know being the one to raise our kid," replied Gibbs.

"So what...you want me to give up work and stay at home all day? Jethro, I...I don't think I can do that...I mean, I don't think I could cope...what if I screwed up?"

"Shhh, Tony, you're not going to screw up. Sure you're inexperienced...but everybody has to start somewhere, and you'll learn. Hell, you learned to be a cop and a Detective, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but this is different..."

"Tony, I have the utmost faith in you...you know that. I believe in you, I believe that you will make an amazing father to our child, but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Gibbs hesitated a long time before continuing. "I know that I wasn't a great father to Kelly..." He put a finger to Tony's lips to stifle his protests, "I should been there a lot more. But I was still in the army when she was born. And then when I joined N.C.I.S., I felt I needed to work all the hours I could...I felt I needed to prove myself all over again. I put my work before my marriage...before my family...and...and I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

Tony pushed himself upright until he could look Gibbs in the face, "What are you saying?" he asked, even though in his heart he knew the answer.

"I'm saying that I'm going to retire."

-----------------------

To be continued 


	23. Chapter 23

Title:Misconceptions 23?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Gibbs and McGee returned to work. Gibbs proposed, Tony accepted, and they got married a week later. Ducky's wedding present to them was a night in the hotel where they consummated their marriage.

Tony pushed himself upright until he could look Gibbs in the face, "What are you saying?" he asked, even though in his heart he knew the answer.

"I'm saying that I'm going to retire." 

-  
23

"What? What are you talking about? You can't retire, you can't leave N.C.I.S...Gibbs, we can't do without you...we need you, I need you!" Tony got up and started pacing around the room. "Dammit Gibbs, what's wrong with you? We finally get things back on track and you just have go and mess them up again. I thought we were going to be a team...get things back to the way they used to be." 

Gibbs caught up with Tony and wrapped his arms around him. "Things change Tony...we can't go back to the way things were." He let his hands rest on Tony's belly. "And I for one wouldn't want to." 

Tony leaned back against Gibbs and sighed, "Me neither...I mean, I want this baby so much...and I know some things have to change...I just wish everything didn't have to change..."

"Change isn't bad, Tony." Gibbs kissed him on a shoulder, "So long as we're both happy with it. I haven't made any decisions yet, nothing's set in stone. I just want to see what our options are first." He sighed, his breath hot against Tony's neck, "Like I said, we don't have to make a decision yet...but we do have to start thinking about it."

"But who'll be in charge when you retire?" asked Tony.

"Who do you think?" said Gibbs. He could feel Tony tense in his arms, "You've been doing a great job these past few weeks."

"Yeah, but I was just waiting for you and..." Tony's voice trailed off as he remembered the past week, and how even though Gibbs had been nominally back at work, he had taken a back seat for much of the time. Tony had figured that Gibbs was just easing himself into things, not wanting to put too much of a strain on his healing body. Now he kicked himself for not noticing it sooner. "All this week, you've just been watching me...seeing how I'm doing with my own team?"

"You've done me proud, Tony," said Gibbs, "This Cold Case squad...after you come back from parental leave, it's yours. Whether or not I take early retirement...you'll still be the Boss."

Tony wriggled around until he was facing Gibbs. "You mean I'd get to order you around?" he teased gently. "Send you out to get coffee for me the way I like it?"

"Of course." Gibbs leaned in and kissed Tony on the lips, "But if you try making me call you Sir..." He growled in mock annoyance. 

And that was the last coherent utterance from either of them for the next few hours as they gently consummated their marriage all over again.

Several hours later as they lay entwined, Tony was the first one to speak. "I guess...maybe we should start thinking about things...like names...you got any suggestions?"

Gibbs grunted contentedly as he tried to drag his brain back from the heights of pleasure that Tony had brought him to. "Not at the moment...no wait...call me picky...but I don't want to name our kid after any of your exes..."

"Well that'll narrow the field considerably," teased Tony, as he stroked Gibbs's chest. "But I do have one suggestion..." His voice was suddenly serious as he told Gibbs his idea.

Gibbs smiled, "That's top of the list for me as well, my love."

-----------------------

Tony stretched as far as he could, but he couldn't reach his objective. "Dammit," he swore to himself as he let his whole body relax. "Okay, DiNozzo," he told himself, "Just one more try..." He grunted and groaned as he reached...but to no avail. Finally he gave up and flopped back on the bed. He waited a few seconds to catch his breath before calling, "Gibbs!" For good measure, he thumped on the floor with the baseball bat that had been leaning against the wall.

There was the sound of running footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hallway. A wide-eyed Gibbs appeared in the doorway, "Tony, are you okay?"

"No," said Tony, gloomily. He held his foot out to Gibbs for inspection. "I can't reach to tie my laces!"

"You can't tie your laces...Tony, remind me again why I left the baseball bat beside the bed?"

"Um...so I could knock on the floor and get your attention?"

"Yes...and under what circumstances were you to use it?"

"If I had a contraction...ah..."

"Yeah..."

Gibbs sighed in mock exasperation, but he ruffled Tony's hair affectionately as he knelt before him to tie his shoelaces. "You know, Velcro straps would be a lot easier now that you can barely reach your feet."

"Gucci shoes don't have Velcro straps," sniffed Tony disdainfully. "And they're about the only designer item I own that I can still fit into."

At thirty-eight weeks, Tony's choice of apparel was severely limited. Most of his designer clothes were still in the boxes they'd been packed into for his move into Gibbs's house. The move was only a temporary measure; neither Tony's apartment nor Gibbs's house was really an ideal place for the family, but Gibbs refused to even consider house hunting until after the baby was born. As a compromise, and since Gibbs had more storage space, they'd packed up everything Tony would need for the next few months and moved it lock stock and DVD collection into Gibbs's house.

The move had been completed in the nick of time, because a few days later, Tony had shaken Gibbs awake in the middle of the night and told him he thought he was having contractions.

One quick trip to the hospital, was followed an hour later by the pair heading home, with Tony complaining about how was he expected to know the difference between Braxton-Hick's and the real thing. 

He'd managed to avoid any more false alarms, but now Tony couldn't wait for the real thing...if only so he could wear something other than the baggy sweatpants and t-shirts he felt like he'd been living in since he'd started his parental leave.

"There, all done," said Gibbs as he finished tying a double knot in the laces. Standing, he pulled Tony to his feet. "Come on, we'll be late."

"You mean you'll be late..." Tony grinned, "Ducky doesn't mind what time I show up at his place."

"Yeah, but I still have to drop you there and get to the office on time. Just because I'm the temporary boss, doesn't mean I can be setting a bad example."

"To who?" shrugged Tony. "Zeeeeva will have been there hours ago like usual, and McGee can't get there until you pick him up. Besides, if you really want to be there on time, I can drive myself to Ducky's." 

Gibbs had 'suggested' that Tony spend his free days at Ducky's place with Jimmy, rather than being stuck at home on his own. Gibbs being Gibbs, it hadn't really been a suggestion.

"Nice try, DiNozzo, but you're not getting back behind the wheel until after the birth."

Tony grumbled good-naturedly about over protective parents to be as he followed Gibbs down the stairs, but he wasn't really complaining. Sometimes being wrapped in cotton wool...felt kind of good.

-----------------------

To be continued 


	24. Chapter 24

Title:Misconceptions 24?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS.  
Tony and Gibbs got married. Gibbs considered taking early retirement so as to look after the baby when the time came. Ducky invited Jimmy and McGee to stay at his house for as long as they wanted to.

-----------------------

24

McGee slowly pushed the door open a crack, just enough so that he could see into the room beyond. It looked unoccupied, but he wasn't taking any chances. 

Finally, he pulled back and said to his partner, "Looks like it's all clear. You keep watch, I'll be in and out in a minute." 

Taking a deep breath, McGee pushed the door open just wide enough to sneak through it as quietly as he could. The noise of his cane touching the tiled floor sound louder than a jackhammer to his nervous mind. He knew that the consequences of being caught doing what he was doing could be serious. But he'd agreed to this mission and he wasn't about to turn back now.

It could have been worse thought McGee. At least now that the cast had been removed from his ankle, he was able to manage with just a cane for balance instead of the crutches he'd had to use before. But the crutches had come in useful occasionally. For one thing, he never had to go and get coffee for the team. And then there had been another occasion as well where they'd proven to be a useful piece of equipment. 

McGee and Gibbs had been conducting interviews on a re-opened case. One of their interviewees - a witness in the original case - had obviously had a guilty conscience and had tried to run. Gibbs had reacted just a fraction too slowly - it being his first day off desk duty since returning from sick leave - and had been knocked off his feet as the guy tried to escape. But McGee had been able to trip him up with his crutch, and had promptly sat on him until Gibbs was back on his feet. "Trust me," McGee had said to the guy, "With Gibbs as pissed off as you've made him, you're safer like this."

Of course, however pissed off Gibbs had been, that had been nothing to Tony's reaction when they'd finally reported in. He'd read Gibbs the riot act for being so careless and had even looked as if he was about to swat him. Then he'd noticed the rest of the team watching him and had taken Gibbs for a private meeting in Gibbs's favorite elevator car. Nobody knew what happened in the 'meeting', but Tony was a lot more relaxed when he returned...although he still restricted Gibbs to desk duty for another two days, saying that he was obviously in need of more time to recover if a deadbeat like that had managed to take him down.

But that was neither here nor there thought McGee as he quickly searched for his objective. Ah, there it was, the container he'd been told to locate. All he had to do was grab the contents...his hand was on the lid when he heard a voice behind him.

"Just what do you think you're doing!"

McGee whirled around to see Ducky standing there, apron tied around him, and a large wooden spoon in his hand. Hands resting on hips, he said, "Replace the lid and step away from the cookie jar, this instant Timothy!"

"I was only going to take a few," protested McGee. "Jimmy couldn't wait until dinner's ready..."

"Do not blame Jimmy for this, young man," said Ducky, sternly. "I am not spending all day cooking a full course Thanksgiving dinner only to have half my family turn up their noses because they've been eating cookies all day!"

"But Ducky!"

"Out!" said Ducky, waving the spoon in a threatening manner. "If either of you is hungry, there's a well filled fruit bowl in the dining room. You can help yourself to that."

McGee grumbled to himself as Ducky shooed him from the kitchen. Once safely in the hallway, he looked around for his partner in crime, and so-called lookout.

"Hey," said McGee, catching sight of Jimmy, lounging in one of the chairs in the hall. "I thought you were supposed to stall Ducky so he wouldn't catch me with my hand in the cookie jar!"

Jimmy quickly sat up straight, "Sorry Tim," he said, his eyes wide and innocent. "I didn't see him in time."

"Ah well, no harm done," said McGee, "But I'm afraid he caught me before I could get anything. You'll have to wait until dinnertime!" He pulled Jimmy to his feet. Leaning in to kiss him, McGee stopped inches away from Jimmy's waiting lips. "Jimmy..." he said, an accusing tone in his voice. "Why does your breath taste of chocolate?"

There was a rustling noise as Jimmy guiltily produced a candy wrapper. 

"You! You sent me sneaking into Ducky's kitchen for something sweet, and all the while you had a hidden stash!"

"It was just the one," protested Jimmy. "Not enough to share..." He blushed.

"You sure it's just the one? Because maybe I ought to frisk you," McGee almost growled the word 'frisk'. "Just to make sure you haven't anything else hidden away..." He wrapped his arms around Jimmy.

Jimmy traced a line down the side of McGee's face, "Make it a strip search...and you've got a deal!"

-------------------------

"You're insatiable!" grinned McGee, as he helped Jimmy get dressed a few hours later.

"I'm nearly forty weeks pregnant, and horny as hell," grumbled Jimmy good naturedly as McGee fastened the hard to reach buttons on his shirt. "Besides, make the most of it...once Junior shows up, we'll probably never have sex again!"

"Because we won't want to be doing it with a baby's cot in the corner of the room?"

"Yeah...that and the fact that after going through the birth, I probably won't want you touching me ever again..." Jimmy bit his lip before he could say anything else. He didn't dare look Tim in the eyes. The gentle touch of McGee's hand on his cheek made him look up.

"You're worried about the delivery." It was a statement, not a question. 

Jimmy nodded, "I...I don't know if I'll be able to handle it...the pain...what if I can't do it, Tim? What if it's too much for me? Even with the drugs and stuff...I just...what if I'm not strong enough? It's different for Tony, he's been bench pressing and working out most of his adult life. But the most I've done has been moving bodies around...what if I'm not fit enough and...and..." He felt Tim's arms around him, pulling him close and whispering reassuringly into his ear.

"It'll be all right," said McGee softly. "You're fit and healthy, you're going to be able to do this...and do you know how I know that?"

Jimmy shook his head.

"Because I'm going to be there with you every step of the way. I know I can't do this for you...and I wish it was going to be me rather than you going through all this, but I am going to be there, holding your hand, mopping your brow...whatever you need. We're in this together...all three of us." He kissed Jimmy gently as he hugged him. A sudden kick made him smile. "See, Junior agrees with me! Just think Jimmy, another week, two at most...and it'll be you and me...baby makes three." He hugged Jimmy for a little while longer. "Come on...let's see if the others are here yet." 

The 'others' consisted of the usual suspects, Abby, Ziva, Tony and Gibbs. Ducky had insisted on preparing most of the meal himself, only allowing the simplest of tasks such as potato peeling and the like to be handled by his house guests. And by the time the rest of the 'family' had arrived, the smells from the kitchen were making everybody's mouths water.

---------------------------------

To be continued 


	25. Chapter 25

Title:Misconceptions 25?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

The 'others' consisted of the usual suspects, Abby, Ziva, Tony and Gibbs. Ducky had insisted on preparing most of the meal himself, only allowing the simplest of tasks such as potato peeling and the like to be handled by his house guests. And by the time the rest of the 'family' had arrived, the smells from the kitchen were making everybody's mouths water.

---------------------------------

25

Ducky's hours in the kitchen had paid off. The table was almost groaning under the weight of food he had prepared, but it didn't take long for he and his guests to make substantial inroads into the meal. 

"Man, that was good," said Tony, as he leaned back in his chair. "Just as well I'd a few inches to spare in my pregnancy pants." He rested his hands on his belly contentedly. "Ducky, you are totally the man!"

"Why thank you, Anthony," said Ducky, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "It's been a pleasure to cook for such receptive guests." 

"So," said Tony, "I believe I heard somebody mention the words dessert...and chocolate?" He looked around hopefully.

"I cannot believe that you have room for more food," said Ziva. "You've eaten twice as much as anybody else."

"Yeah, well I am eating for two," said Tony, pulling a face at her. 

Ziva rolled her eyes, but before the banter could degenerate further, Ducky tapped on a glass to get everybody's attention. 

"I feel I should say a few words," said Ducky, rising to his feet. "On this occasion, as everybody knows, it is an opportunity to reflect on the past years events...to give thanks for the good things...to make our peace with the bad things. It has indeed been a most eventful year...a most eventful couple of years I might say. The events that have happened in our past, have helped to shape our future, for better or for worse." He cleared his throat before continuing, "And I feel it only right and proper to raise a glass in acknowledgement of what we've been through. Everybody, please, charge your glasses..."

Ducky waited until all glasses had been topped up before he continued, "To family, that we will never forget." He took a sip from his glass, his words echoed by Gibbs and Ziva in particular. Tony squeezed Gibbs's hand.

"To new family that we hope to meet soon." Ducky smiled at Tony and Jimmy. "To friends both old and new...to those that gave their lives in the line of duty...to those that continue to work towards making this world a safer...and a happier place. My dear friends, I salute you all." 

The next few minutes consisted of everybody clinking glasses and hugging and the semi somber mood was only broken by Tony's plaintive voice, "But where's my dessert!"

"DiNozzo!" grumbled Gibbs, good-naturedly as he ruffled Tony's hair. 

The dessert was definitely worth waiting for though, Tony had to admit, as Ducky placed a large bowl of chocolate pudding in front of him. A quick look and Tony could see chocolate brownies, chocolate fudge, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips. His mouth was watering as he grabbed his spoon and loaded it as full as he could. The spoon was only inches from his lips when he grunted, his hand going protectively to his stomach.

"You okay there Tony?" asked Gibbs, a look of concern on his face. 

"Yeah, must be a bit of gas or cramp or something. It's been bothering me for an hour or two." Tony tried to eat his dessert, but the look on Gibbs's face stopped him. "What?"

"You've been having cramps for a couple of hours...and you didn't say anything?"

Tony looked around, "Uh, what's the big deal? It's nothing...I probably just was eating too quickly or something." He grinned, "Blame Ducky for making such a delicious meal." He tried again to take a mouthful of the dessert but this time Gibbs took the spoon from his hand, dropping it back in the bowl and pushing both out of Tony's reach. "Hey!" said Tony indignantly. 

"Tony," said Gibbs, "Have the cramps been getting worse or stayed the same?"

Tony frowned, "They're a little bit stronger than they were to start with..."

"And are they getting more frequent?"

Tony nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

Gibbs looked at Ducky, who shrugged, "I couldn't possibly say Jethro, it's been a considerable length of time since I had to deal with an Obstetrics' case. But I couldn't rule it out."

"Rule out what?" asked Ziva. Of the people at the table, she was the only one who looked puzzled. McGee and Jimmy were smiling in agreement at Ducky's comment. Gibbs was shaking his head in exasperation. Tony...Tony looked like a deer caught in the headlights. And Abby was still in the bathroom where she'd disappeared to just before the discussion had started.

"Tony's in labor," said Gibbs. His hand looked as if it was just itching to swat Tony. "DiNozzo, what the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you say something?" 

"I...I didn't think...I mean, I thought it was another false alarm. Gibbs, I can't be in labor, Doctor Wu said it'd be next week, that's my due date, right?" There was a note of alarm in Tony's voice.

Gibbs squeezed his hand reassuringly, "A due date is just an E.T.A. Babies tend to come when they're ready. And it looks like Junior can't wait." 

"You are considered full term, Tony," said Ducky, "If indeed you are in labor, there should be no adverse effects from the baby being a few days in advance of its 'due date'. However, it may indeed be simply a false alarm."

"I'm not taking any chances," said Gibbs. "Looks like we'll have to take a rain check on the rest of the dinner, Ducky." He stood, still holding Tony's hand. "Come on Tony."

"Hey, what's happening?" asked Abby as she returned to the room. "No, don't tell me, you and Tony fancy an 'early night'!"

Gibbs shook his head, "Tony's having contractions. I'm taking him to the hospital."

"He's in labor? Oh no, no, no, Tony, you can't be having the baby now!"

"Hey, it's okay Abs," said Tony, still looking a little shaken, "Ducky says it's cool, I mean I'm a little early, but it'll be okay."

"That's not why she's worried," commented Ziva, dryly. "She has a bet going that Jimmy will be the first to give birth."

"ABBY!" Everybody looked at Abby in shock. 

"You are betting on my child's birth?" Gibbs's face was like thunder as he glared at Abby. 

"Yeah Abby," said McGee, "How could you bet on something like this?"

"It was only a little bet," grumbled Abby, "And I know their due dates are the same, but I figured that Tony's not as punctual as Jimmy, so it'd be a sure thing."

"Gee thanks Abs," grumbled Tony. He sucked in his breath sharply as another cramp hit him. "Whoa...that...that was a big one."

"Right, that's it. McGee, call Doctor Wu, tell her I'm bringing Tony in. If she's not on duty, find out who is."

"On it Boss," said McGee, grabbing his cell phone.

"Dammit Abby," said Gibbs, as he hauled Tony to his feet. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Gibbs," said Abby, not sounding very repentant. "It was only a bit of fun."

"Yeah, well you're gonna lose your bet now."

"Um...I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Jimmy. His face paled as everybody looked at him. "I...I think my waters just broke!"

-----------------------

To be continued

Ceindreadh 


	26. Chapter 26

Title:Misconceptions 26?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg

Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

"Um...I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Jimmy. His face paled as everybody looked at him. "I...I think my waters just broke!"

-----------------------

26

That was the cue for everybody to start talking at once.

McGee was anxiously questioning Jimmy as to whether he had any pains or other signs that his labor had started. Jimmy was trying to reassure him that he'd only a few minor cramps and nothing worth noticing. Gibbs was yelling at Abby, angry that she'd been making bets on people's lives, his people especially. Abby was trying to defend herself, claiming that it was only a bit of fun. Ziva was wanting to know how it was possible for water to break. Ducky was trying to calm everybody down, and Tony...Tony was trying to retrieve his dessert while Gibbs was still distracted. 

But just as Tony finally got his hands on the dessert bowl, he yelped more in surprise than in pain as another cramp, worse than the previous one, hit him.

Tony's yelp cut through the noise somehow. Gibbs immediately turned his attention back to him, taking him by the hand and murmuring reassuringly until the pain died away.

"Hospital," said Gibbs, when Tony's grip on him finally relaxed.

"Hospital," agreed Tony, as he caught his breath.

"I think we'll be joining you," said McGee as he helped Jimmy to stand.

"Just as soon as I get changed," said Jimmy, a slight flush tinting his cheeks.

"We don't have time for that," said McGee. "We need to get you to the hospital now!"

"Do you want me to catch a chill?" Jimmy gave McGee a peck on the cheek before turning to Ducky, "I'm really sorry about the chair, Ducky. "

"It's quite all right, my dear boy," said Ducky, a smile on his face. "Accidents will happen."

"My bag," said Jimmy. "It's in the hallway."

"I'll get it," said Abby, glad to have the opportunity to escape from Gibbs's glare. She didn't know what he was all fussed about. It wasn't as if she'd been planning on cheating to win the bet...not this time anyway. Although she had been planning on dropping a few discreet hints to Jimmy about natural methods of encouraging labor. She was sure he wouldn't have objected to being told that sex was quite a useful thing to try.

"Do I have a bag?" Tony asked Gibbs.

Gibbs petted the back of his head; "It's been sitting in the trunk of the car for the last month, you bonehead! Didn't you notice?"

"We'll just be five minutes," said Jimmy, as he and McGee moved away from the table. It was hard to tell which of them was leaning more on the other, but between them they managed.

Abby nearly ploughed straight into them as she came running back in, a backpack in her hand. "Ooops, sorry guys," she said. "Is this the right one?"

Jimmy nodded, then sucked in his breath sharply and clutched McGee a little tighter. "I think we'd better hurry up," he said, when he finally caught his breath. 

"Abby," said Gibbs, reaching for his keys. "Put Jimmy's bag in the car and start it up. I want the car all warmed up when we leave."

"Okay, bossman," said Abby, snapping off a salute. "But we won't all fit in it, will we?"

Gibbs looked at her in surprise. 

Abby's smile faltered, "You weren't gonna leave us behind, were you Gibbs?"

"Abby..." Gibbs started to speak, but Ducky waved him into silence.

"Abigail my dear, I think we should let Gibbs and Timothy take Tony and Jimmy to the hospital to be checked over. It's possible that for Tony at least, this may just be another false alarm."

"But Jimmy's definitely gonna be having his baby and..."

Ducky continued as if Abby hadn't said anything, "And in any event, for a primipara...a first time delivery," he added, before Abby could say anything, "It's likely to be several hours at least before anything happens. Do you really want to spend time in a waiting room again?"

"But..." Abby's voice trailed off, "I guess not," she said a little gloomily. 

Ducky gave her a hug, "You and Ziva can help me tidy up here. Jethro and Timothy will keep us updated." He looked at Gibbs, "You will keep us informed."

"I'll make sure he does," said Tony, grimacing slightly as Gibbs helped him to his feet and over to the door. As he passed by Abby he gave her a hug, "Don't worry Abs, it could be worse."

"How?"

"At least I don't have to help with the dishes!"

-------------------

"Hurry up," said McGee, as he watched Jimmy carefully remove his clothing. "Please Jimmy, we need to get you to the hospital."

"Don't fuss, Tim," said Jimmy, calmly as he slid off his trousers. "There's plenty of time." He started to fold the trousers but McGee grabbed them from him and stuffed them into the laundry hamper. "Tim!"

"How can you be so calm?" asked McGee as he started pacing the floor. "You were getting all freaked out earlier...and now look at you." He stopped in front of Jimmy.

Jimmy put his hands on McGee's shoulders. "I can't explain it Tim...I guess...I guess I just feel that now it's all happening...there's nothing I can do to stop it...and I wouldn't want to even if I could. I don't know why, it just feels...feels so right..." He grimaced as a spasm hit him. "Of course it's going to hurt like hell before I'm finished..." 

McGee put his arms around Jimmy, massaging his back and murmuring reassuringly. "But I'm going to be there with you all the way." He waited until Jimmy's grip loosened on him as the pain died away. "Okay, now will you move a bit faster?"

------------------------

With McGee hustling him along, Jimmy managed to make himself presentable, and less than fifteen minutes after his waters had broken, he found himself being strapped into the back seat of Gibbs's car. Tony was strapped in beside him, grumbling loudly about having called 'shotgun' as soon as Gibbs had said they'd all travel together.

"Airbag's," said Gibbs in response. "I don't know what effect on you they'd have if they went off unexpectedly, and I don't want to find out." So he had slipped behind the wheel, McGee hopped into the passenger seat, and Ducky, Ziva and Abby had waved them off.

Gibbs glanced in the mirror as he drove, and smiled as he saw Tony take Jimmy's hand.

"We're gonna be okay, kid," Tony said. It was hard to tell whether he was reassuring himself or Jimmy, but both men definitely seemed a little more relaxed by the contact.

Five minutes down the road however, Tony had groaned loudly, making Gibbs look behind him in alarm, "You having another contraction, DiNozzo?" he'd asked, a worried note in his voice.

"No," said Tony, "I just remembered...I never got to finish my dessert!"

"Tony!"

----------------------------

To be continued 


	27. Chapter 27

Title:Misconceptions 27?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg

Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. At Ducky's for Thanksgiving, Tony started having contractions and Jimmy's water's broke. Gibbs and McGee insisted that they head to the hospital to be checked out.

Five minutes down the road however, Tony had groaned loudly, making Gibbs look behind him in alarm, "You having another contraction, DiNozzo?" he'd asked, a worried note in his voice.

"No," said Tony, "I just remembered...I never got to finish my dessert!"

"Tony!" 

----------------------------

27

Tony was still grumbling about his missed dessert when they pulled into the hospital grounds. Gibbs had been tempted to stop the car and swat him, but he knew that this focusing on something mundane was Tony's way of dealing with a situation. 

"McGee," said Gibbs, as he stopped the car. "Wheelchairs, now."

"On it, Boss," said McGee, opening his door.

"Wait a minute, Jethro," said Tony. "I am perfectly well able to walk..."

"More like waddle," muttered Jimmy, earning himself a glare.

"Okay," acknowledged Tony, "Waddle...but whatever, I'm pregnant and probably in labor...but I'm not sick..." 

"OB-GYN is on the fifth floor and the elevators take forever," said Gibbs.

"So I'll gladly sit in a wheelchair," continued Tony without missing a beat. "What you waiting for Probie?"

-------------------------

As luck would have it, Doctor Wu was indeed on duty that evening. "I get Christmas and the Chinese New Year," she said with a smile as she greeted the foursome, "My colleague gets Thanksgiving and St. Patrick's day."

Gibbs didn't like to admit just how relieved he was to see her on duty. He knew that all the OB-GYN's were more than qualified. Heck, he'd had Abby run background checks on them making sure there was nobody working there that didn't deserve to, but it was most reassuring to know that the same doc who had brought them so far, was now going to be there for the end. 

But even Doctor Wu's reassuring presence still couldn't stop Gibbs from thinking of the last time he'd been in this situation. And while he knew that Tony wasn't Shannon and that there was no reason to believe that this birth would be anything other than straightforward, still he worried.

"Okay, Tony," said Doctor Wu when she'd finished her exam. "Well, I hope you didn't have plans for the rest of the evening." She smiled at him, "This time it's no false alarm."

"Oh boy!" said Tony, biting his lip. "It's...it's really happening..." Gibbs squeezed his hand. 

"I'll be back to check on you in a few hours," said Doctor Wu as she pulled off her gloves."

"You...you're not staying?" said Tony. "What if something happens?"

"You're not the only one having a baby tonight. The Nurses will be in and out to keep an eye on you, and if you need anything just push the buzzer." Doctor Wu made a note on the chart and then spoke to the Nurse, "Have a portable oxygen set brought in, just in case."

"Wait a minute," said Gibbs, "What do you mean 'just in case'?"

Doctor Wu looked at him in surprise, "It's just as a precaution. In case Tony's lungs aren't up to the strain of labor. I explained it to Tony at one of his appointments, let me see, about six weeks ago."

Six weeks ago, Gibbs had been still convalescing and had had to miss one of Tony's pre-natal check ups. Now he looked at Tony, "Something you forgot to mention to me?"

"It's nothing," said Tony. "She's just being overcautious... But I'm fine; I haven't had a problem with my lungs in over a year. I'm okay Gibbs."

Gibbs turned back to Doctor Wu. "Doctor Wu, a C-Section would cause less of a strain on Tony's body, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, of course, I suggested that option be considered..."

"No," said Tony, firmly. He pulled on Gibbs's hand. "Jethro...I don't want a c-section...not unless it's necessary. I can do this...I don't need to take the easy way out..."

Gibbs stroked the side of Tony's face, "Tony, nobody's gonna think less of you for having a caesarean. This isn't about proving yourself...what matters is getting both you and the baby through this safely, that's all that matters." 

"I know...and if it's safer for the baby then I will have the c-section...but can't we just see how it goes first?" 

When Tony looked at him in that way, Gibbs found it difficult to deny him anything. "Okay," he said finally. "But if Doctor Wu says you need the op, I don't want you arguing, okay?"

"I wouldn't dare!" Tony winced and squeezed Gibbs's hand tightly until the pain died away. 

-------------------

Several hours later, Gibbs found himself pacing the corridors of the hospital. Tony had ordered him to go and find some food and coffee or something, "Just cause I'm on ice chips, doesn't mean you need to go hungry," he had said, practically ordering Gibbs out of the room. "Go! And don't come back until you've eaten."

"You bossing me about already?" Gibbs had teased, but he hadn't been able to completely hide the worry he was feeling. He hated all this waiting about...he especially hated that there was absolutely nothing he could do to help things along. All he could do was hold Tony's hand during the contractions and try to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. 

"Gibbs!" McGee's voice made Gibbs look up as the younger man limped towards him. "Gibbs, any news?"

Gibbs shook his head, "Tony ordered me to get some caffeine into me. Said it was probably going to be a long night and he didn't want me passing out on him. What about you? How's Jimmy doing?"

McGee pulled a face, "Well I never knew that Jimmy had such an...extensive vocabulary! Honestly Gibbs, he was having a contraction and I asked him was the pain really bad...and I was trying to be sympathetic, but he gave me such an earful! Then he told me to get out of his sight. I...I didn't know what to do..."

Gibbs patted McGee on the shoulder, reassuringly, "McGee, when somebody's in labor, they're likely to say some things they don't mean. Jimmy's under a lot of stress right now, he's just lashing out at whatever target is close by."

"So he didn't really mean it when he said he wished I'd never laid a hand on him?" McGee yelped as Gibbs swatted him. "Ouch!"

"Ya think?" 

McGee rubbed his head warily. "I guess you've been in this situation before, Gibbs." McGee regretted his comment as soon as he saw the look of pain flash across Gibbs's face.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was several days after the explosion. McGee and Gibbs had been officially taken off the critical list and for almost the first time since the incident, it was just the two of them in their shared room. Jimmy and Tony had been escorted home by Ducky, and McGee was much reassured, knowing that his Jimmy would be properly looked after in his absence. 

McGee shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't easy; his leg was immobilized in a cast and there wasn't that many positions to choose from...plus it itched like hell under the plaster. Glancing over at the other bed in the room, McGee could see that he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping.

"Gibbs, are you awake?" McGee spoke softly, just in case his roommate had already managed to fall asleep. He knew that even an injured Gibbs was well capable of kicking his ass if his sleep was disturbed. There was no answer, and McGee was about to give up and try again to get back to sleep, when finally Gibbs spoke.

"Yeah, McGee...I'm awake." 

"I just wanted..." McGee swallowed hard before continuing, "I wanted to say thank you...for keeping me going while we were trapped. If I'd been on my own...I don't think I'd have made it."

"Don't underestimate yourself, McGee," said Gibbs. "You're stronger than you realize...you had Jimmy and the baby counting on you...you weren't gonna give up on them, no matter what the situation."

"Maybe...but on my own I could have panicked...maybe injured myself even more. I just wanted to thank you for being there." McGee hesitated for a while before continuing, "And I...I also wanted to say how sorry I am...about your daughter." 

Gibbs turned in McGee's direction, a look of shock on his face, "How...who...who told you..."

"Um, you did, Boss...at least I think you did..." McGee rubbed his head, "It's sort of fuzzy, what happened while we were under the rubble. But I remember you talking...I remember you ordering me to stay awake...and you were talking about your little girl. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"No," interrupted Gibbs, sighing heavily. "It's okay..."

There was silence in the room for a few minutes before Gibbs spoke again, "Tony doesn't know."

"About your daughter?" McGee couldn't hide his surprise.

"Don't look at me like that," growled Gibbs, "What, you think I can just say 'hey DiNozzo, the last kid I had was murdered because of me, but no worries, I'm sure lightning doesn't strike twice'."

"I...I'm sorry, Boss, I didn't mean..."

Gibbs rubbed his head wearily, frowning as he felt the bandages he still wore, "No, it's not your fault." He sighed heavily, "Tony has got the right to know...and I'll tell him...when the time is right."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

McGee rubbed his head warily. "I guess you've been in this situation before, Gibbs." McGee regretted his comment as soon as he saw the look of pain flash across Gibbs's face.

Gibbs shook his head. "I was on a training mission when Shannon went into labor a month early. It was a survival exercise...no radio contact. By the time I got back to civilization...Shannon had had to cope with it all on her own." Gibbs couldn't help but feel a stab of pain at the memory. Even though all his immediate circle now knew what had happened to Kelly, Gibbs still found it difficult to talk about her. With an effort, he collected his thoughts.

" McGee, you get right back in there and you apologize to Jimmy for being such an ass."

"But I didn't..."

"It doesn't matter. You just say whatever it takes to keep Jimmy focused on what he's doing. That's all that matters right now. You hear me?"

"I...yes, yes Boss." McGee turned and limped away, stopping only when Gibbs called after him.

"And McGee...you might want to get a cup or something before you go back in."

McGee looked at Gibbs with a puzzled expression on his face, "A cup?"

"Yeah...next time Jimmy pitches a fit, he could well go for the source of all his troubles." Gibbs smiled evilly as McGee's face paled slightly. "Go on, Tim. Give Jimmy my best."

"Yeah...and mine to Tony," said McGee absently as he returned to his lover's side.

----------------------

To be continued 


	28. Chapter 28

Title:Misconceptions 28?  
Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg

Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS.  
After an eventful pregnancy, both Jimmy and Tony went into labor over Thanksgiving Dinner at Ducky's house and were brought to hospital. Doctor Wu had warned Tony earlier that as a result of his bout of the Plague, he might suffer from difficulties during the labor. Tony had 'forgotten' to mention that warning to Gibbs, and refused to be pushed into having a c-section. 

----------------------

28

"I think we should phone the hospital, Ducky," said Abby. "See if there's any news."

Ducky opened his eyes and jumped as he focused on the Goth only a few inches away from him. "What...who...Abby...what on earth are you doing here?"

Abby stepped back from Ducky's bed, "You said Ziva and I should stay the night, don't you remember, Ducky?"

"I certainly remember that, my dear." Abby had been bouncing off the walls ever since the two couples had left for the hospital. Ducky had practically insisted that she stay over, mainly because he was sure that if left to her own devices she would turn up at the hospital sooner rather then later. He knew that much as all four men cared for Abby, the last thing they needed at this moment was a highly charged Goth bouncing around the place.  
"What I meant was, what are you doing in my bedroom?" He looked at his bedside clock, "At seven am?"

"She wanted to wake you at five," said Ziva from the doorway. 

"I can't help it," said Abby, "I'm just so excited! Tony and Jimmy's babies could be here and we wouldn't know about it!"

"I'm sure that if either baby had arrived, then Jethro or Timothy would have contacted us by now," said Ducky. He picked up his glasses from the bedside table and put them on. "I did explain to you that we could be in for a long wait. For a first time delivery, labors of more than twenty four hours are not unheard of."

"I hate waiting," grumbled Abby.

-----------------

But she had to wait for over an hour until Ducky was dressed and breakfasted and had driven them all to the hospital. He'd insisted on both his guests having a full breakfast before he'd allowed them to leave. "My dears, I couldn't possibly allow you to leave without eating. It would be most inhospitable of me." At the back of his mind, Ducky was trying to buy as much time as possible before he inflicted his guests on the hospital.

But eventually they'd packed into Ducky's car for the drive. When they hit a busy stretch of the road, Abby seemed almost ready to jump out and start walking. But fortunately the traffic cleared and they made good time.

Once inside, Abby led the way. Ziva looked at her quizzically as she guided them through the mass of corridors without once needing directions. "I downloaded the floor plans of the hospital a few weeks ago," explained Abby. "I was bored and figured it might come in useful."

"I believe it was time well spent," said Ducky as they approached the reception desk, where he informed the nurse on duty who they were there to see. She directed them to a small waiting area; saying that she'd check and see what information could be divulged. Ducky hoped it wouldn't take too long though as he could see that Abby was on the verge of exploding with impatience.

Fortunately for all concerned, it was only a few minutes later when Abby let out a squeal as she saw Gibbs and McGee approaching.

"Jethro, Timothy," said Ducky, "Is there news?"

Gibbs and McGee exchanged glances before turning back to the others. With a big smile, they said simultaneously, "It's a boy!"

"Oh my God, oh my God, that is so cool!" squealed Abby. She launched herself at Gibbs and hugged him before nearly knocking McGee off balance with an equally wild hug. Ziva and Ducky chimed in with congratulations and questions and hugs and handshakes.

"Seven pounds two," said Gibbs. "Eight pounds even," said McGee. "They're both doing fine"  
"Tony's resting for a bit." "We were just going to phone you."

"So come on," said Abby, "Who got here first?" She looked at Gibbs and McGee expectantly.

"Oh I don't know," said McGee, a look of studied innocence on his face. "You know, I think it was a dead heat."

"McGee!" Abby turned to Gibbs, "Come on Bossman, you'll tell me, right?"

"Sorry Abby," said Gibbs, unrepentantly. "McGee's right. It was too close to call...and that's all I'm saying on the matter."

Abby pouted for a second before brightening. "I'm sure Tony and Jimmy will be able to fill me in." She started to move down the corridor, only to be stopped by Gibbs's hand on her arm. "What? I just want to see them."

"I know, but they're both resting now."

"But Gibbs!"

"No 'buts'," said Gibbs. "It's been a long night. Come back this evening."

"Yeah Abby," said McGee. "Honestly, Jimmy's exhausted and so am I. You can see him and the baby this evening."

"That's right," added Gibbs, "We'll make all the introductions then."

For once Abby's powers of persuasion failed her, as both Gibbs and McGee stood firm. Even a promise by Abby to just 'pop her head around the door to say hello' didn't get her past them. Finally, reluctantly, she agreed to leave the new families in peace for the rest of the day, grumbling at the meanness of some people who wouldn't even reveal the names of their new sons until later.

"I'll catch up with you in a minute," said Ducky as he handed the car keys to Abby. "Wait for me in the parking garage." He waited until both women had disappeared towards the elevators before turning back to Gibbs and McGee. "So, everything is all right?" 

McGee nodded, "The baby's healthy. Jimmy's exhausted though; it's been a long night...for both of us. I'm just going to make some phone calls, spread the good news, and then I'll head home for a few hours rest. Doctor Wu has ordered me not to come back until I've cleaned up a bit." His smile turned into a yawn. 

"And Tony?"

"He's okay, Ducky," said Gibbs. "We had a little bit of a scare...but he'll be fine once he's had a chance to recover his strength."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Gibbs had returned to Tony's room to find the Nurse putting a nasal cannula on him. "What's going on?" Gibbs asked in alarm as he hurried to Tony's side. 

"It's just a precaution, Mr. Gibbs," said the Nurse. "Tony was feeling a little short of breath."

Gibbs reached for Tony's hand automatically. 

"It...I'm just...just a little tired," said Tony. 

Gibbs cupped the side of Tony's face, noticing just how pale and exhausted he looked, "You sure you don't want to reconsider a c-section?"

Tony shook his head, "I...I'm fine...just...hold me Jethro..." He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. 

Gibbs slid onto the bed beside him, holding him close and murmuring reassuringly. "It's going to be all right, Tony. I'm here, I'm with you, you're doing great."

The rest of the labor seemed like an eternity for Gibbs. It felt like a knife going into him every time Tony groaned under the weight of another contraction. All he could do was hold Tony and try to reassure him that everything was going to be fine. But finally after what seemed like hours, if not days, Gibbs heard the sound of a baby crying and Doctor Wu announcing, "It's a boy!"

- - - - - - - - - -- -

"They had to put Tony on oxygen," Gibbs explained to Ducky, "He nearly passed out during the birth, but he's okay now, thank God." 

Ducky patted Gibbs on the shoulder; "It's been a long night for all of you."

"But it was worth it," said Gibbs, smiling tiredly. "It certainly was!" added McGee.

------------------------

to be continued 


	29. Chapter 29

And now the end is near, we face the final chapter...well okay, the next to final one.  
Thank you to everybody who's come along for the ride, I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing.

Title:Misconceptions 29/30 Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg

Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Previously on NCIS. Tony and Jimmy both went into labor in the middle of Thanksgiving Dinner and were whisked off to hospital. The next morning Abby, Ducky and Ziva showed up at the hospital to be told that both had been safely delivered of a son. As both Tony and Jimmy needed their rest, it was agreed that introductions to the new arrivals would have to wait until later that day when both parents had recovered from the birth, Tony having had a difficult time of it.

Ducky patted Gibbs on the shoulder; "It's been a long night for all of you."

"But it was worth it," said Gibbs, smiling tiredly. "It certainly was!" added McGee.

------------------------

29

Although exhausted, Jimmy was finding it difficult to rest. The events of the previous night, the pain...the fear...and through it all, his beloved Tim holding him firmly, calming him, reassuring him, sharing his strength as much as possible. And then, when Jimmy was almost done, and sure that he couldn't go on, he'd tapped his final reserves of strength and determination, and finally succeeded. The joy of holding his son in his arms for the first time almost obliterated the memory of what it had taken to get him there. Jimmy hadn't been able to believe it, that he and Tim had created this wonderful miracle. He'd almost cried when the Nurse had taken the baby away to clean and weigh him and do all the necessary tests on a newborn. 

But soon enough, baby boy Palmer-McGee was back in his parent's arms and the happy family was left alone to savor the moment. "He's so beautiful," said McGee as he nestled in beside Jimmy on the bed. His hand reached out to his son, but hesitated inches above the baby's head. 

"He won't break, Tim," said Jimmy, smiling. "Do you want to hold him?"

"I...yes...no...what if I drop him?" McGee felt more nervous than when he'd met Gibbs for the first time. 

"Just support his head..." Jimmy handed the baby to Tim. "There...you're a natural..." He leaned against his lover. "He's ours...all ours..." 

McGee looked from his son to his lover, the two most important people in his life from this moment on. "I love you Jimmy."

The previous hours might have seemed like an eternity, but the time spent with their baby passed all too quickly. 

"I know you don't want to be parted," said Doctor Wu with a smile, "But it's been a long night, for him as well as both of you, and right now, you could all do with a rest."

So Jimmy had reluctantly handed his son over to the OB Nurse so that he could be brought to the nursery and his fathers could get some much needed rest. 

Although how they expected him to rest when they'd put him in a room with Tony DiNozzo, Jimmy didn't know. Gibbs and Tim had filled each other in on their side of things, and Jimmy and Tony had the opportunity to compare notes on their respective labors. While Jimmy's had been less stressful than Tony's, he had still managed to pop a blood vessel in his eye with the strain of the labor. 

McGee had nearly panicked at the sight, wanting to call in every specialist in the hospital, but Doctor Wu had reassured him that it wasn't an uncommon occurrence and that Jimmy's eye would return to normal in a matter of days. 

Exhausted though they both were, it was likely that Jimmy and Tony could have kept on talking all day, if it hadn't been for a nurse announcing that they had visitors anxious for news. 

"I wondered how long it would take Abby to drag Ducky over here," grinned Tony, tiredly. "Guess it's time for the party to begin!" He started to sit up in his bed, but Gibbs pushed him back firmly.

"There'll be no partying until you've had some shut-eye," said Gibbs, firmly. Over Tony's weak protestations, he continued, "I'll fill them in on the details and have them come back this evening when you've rested."

"Sounds like a good idea," said McGee. 

--------------------------

But even once Gibbs and McGee had left, both Tony and Jimmy found it difficult to settle down. Tony especially so. The pulse ox meter on a finger, and the nasal cannula he still wore, while not exactly uncomfortable, were still irritating. 

Jimmy too wasn't as comfortable as he could wish. He'd needed some stitches, and his eye was still itchy and bloodshot. 

"I still can't believe I've done it," said Jimmy, softly. He lay curled up, facing Tony's bed. "After all this time...all the planning...it's finally over..."

"It...it's not over, Jimmy," said Tony, "It's only just beginning. We've got a whole new life ahead of us." 

Jimmy was silent for a few minutes before saying, "Are you as scared as I am?"

Tony managed to laugh, "More so! I mean, there's so much to learn...so many things to do. I knew I should have paid more attention in those pre-natal classes we took."

"But we'll be able to do it...won't we?"

"You've got McGee...I've got Gibbs...we've both got Ducky and Abs and even Ziva backing us up...we'll be fine." Tony spoke with a confidence he wasn't really feeling. But at least Jimmy seemed to be taking his words at face value and relaxed somewhat. "It'll be okay," Tony told himself as he finally managed to drift off to sleep. "It's a whole new life...but it'll be okay."

-------------------------------

And the first stage in their new lives came later that day, when the families were reunited once again. Baby Gibbs-DiNozzo and baby Palmer-McGee were retrieved from the nursery and handed back to their doting fathers. And soon after, Ducky escorted Abby and Ziva to meet the newborns. They didn't come empty-handed. A teddy bear apiece from Abby, dressed in Goth outfits, naturally. Ducky brought two large baby-changing bags, filled with all the little things like diapers and wipes etc that a first time parent would need. He carefully pointed out a small pocket in each bag that contained a hip flask. "That is not for the babies consumption...but their parents might need it occasionally!" And Ziva...nobody knew how she'd managed it, but she'd found two little baby size baseball caps with N.C.I.S. stitched on them. 

"Ohhhh, they're so adorable!" said Abby, cooing over the babies. "Look at their little fingers and tiny little toes!"

"And if I see so much as a hint of black nail varnish on them..." said Gibbs, mock threateningly. 

"You know I'd never do that, Gibbs," said Abby. "Well, not until there's a big enough nail to paint." 

"Abby!"

"I'm joking, honest! Anyway, you haven't told us any of the details...we don't even know their names!"

"Guess we should make the formal introductions," said Gibbs, smiling. "Tony, you want to do the honors?"

Tony sat up a little straighter in his bed. "Well, me and Jimmy were going to go with 'thing one' and 'thing two'..."

"We were not!" protested Jimmy, "Don't listen to him!"

Tony continued as if Jimmy hadn't said anything, "...but then I figured that there was somebody special that deserved to be remembered." He hesitated for a few seconds before continuing, "And since we couldn't exactly call him Kate...we decided to go with Todd." 

"Oh Tony!" Abby threw her arms around him, "That's so sweet!"

"And what about your son, Jimmy?" asked Ducky.

Jimmy couldn't help but feel a thrill of pleasure at the words 'your son'. "Well, Ducky...with your permission, Tim and I were thinking of calling him Donald...if you don't mind."

Ducky, overcome with emotion, was for once almost lost for words. "Oh my dear boys, I'd be quite honored."

It was of course Tony who broke the silence. Grinning widely he commented, "Talk about brown-nosing, naming a kid after your former boss. Now why didn't I think of that, Gibbs?"

Gibbs just smiled and gently ruffled Tony's hair. "Because we both agreed that Leroy and Jethro are not good names for kids."

"I don't know, they worked out pretty good for you." Tony leaned in against Gibbs. 

"Awww," said Abby. "Okay, come on guys, time for the first official family photograph."

Abby seemed to be having such fun setting them up for the pictures that none of the new fathers decided to mention to her that they'd already taken pictures of the new additions to their teams...several pictures in fact. But there was always time for one more.

--------------------

To be concluded 


	30. Chapter 30

Title:Misconceptions 30/30 Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, M-PREG, Angst/hurt-comfort Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, McGee/Jimmy Rating: T Warnings: THIS IS AN M-PREG FIC. If you don't like M-Preg then don't read it. If you read it anyway, then don't go complaining to me that you don't like it because it's M-Preg Later chapters will feature minor character death, just so you know.  
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing I was going to go into this whole pseudo-scientific explanation as to how M-Preg works in this universe, but then I thought, Feck it. It works, and that's it.

Final Note - well it hasn't been 9 months, but it's almost felt like it since I started this fic. I hope you've all enjoyed the journey. Thanks to everybody who commented and sent feedback. A special big hug for FatCat who as my Beta had to go through all the cliffhangers first!

Thank you to everybody who's read this far.

--------------------

30

"Hush little baby, don't you cry, Daddy's gonna sing you a lullaby." Jimmy sang softly to baby Don as he lowered the sleeping infant back to the crib. A shadow across the doorway made him look up and he smiled as he saw Tim standing there. Jimmy put a finger to his lips as he made his way to the door. "He's just settled," said Jimmy as he pulled the door shut behind him.

"I know...I could hear you on the baby monitor," said McGee, smiling. His smile widened as Jimmy blushed.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I should have remembered the monitor. I didn't mean to take so long, but he was taking so long to settle and I know that some of the books say to leave a baby to settle on their own, but I couldn't bear to hear him cry and I thought if I sang a bit. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you or Ducky."

McGee took Jimmy into his arms, "Are you kidding? We had the volume turned right up," he teased. He didn't add that if it hadn't been for Ducky, he would have been up the stairs to help settle baby Don at the first sign that Jimmy was having difficulty. But Ducky had told him to give Jimmy a little time and space. "I know your first instinct is to step in and help, but having you take over won't help Jimmy's confidence in dealing with Don. I've always believed that babies can sense when their carer is uncertain." So they had sat and listened over the monitor to Jimmy's efforts to soothe his son. And finally the sounds of both baby and father had grown calmer, and when Jimmy started singing softly, that was when Ducky nodded to McGee to go and join him. 

"I just wanted to make sure he settled properly but he wasn't happy," protested Jimmy. "It's his first night at home...I...I didn't want him to be scared in a new place..." 

"I promise you Jimmy, I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and Don, never ever have anything to be scared of." 

"I love you Tim." Jimmy's kiss showed him just how much. "I've missed this."

"Missed what?"

"Being able to get this close to you face to face!"

"Come here you!"

They were like that for easily another five minutes before they heard somebody clearing his throat. Looking up, McGee and Jimmy saw Ducky standing at the end of the passageway. "Not that I want to interrupt you, but you might want to consider turning down the baby monitor...or at least closing the nursery door!"

If blushes could be harnessed, Jimmy and McGee's would have heated the house for the rest of the night.

---------------------------

A few days later, Tony DiNozzo sat in a wheelchair in his hospital room feeling more scared than he ever had in his life. The reason for his fear was wrapped in a blanket and resting in his arms. 

Todd Daniel Gibbs-DiNozzo, unaware of the stress he was causing his daddy, wrinkled his nose in his sleep. 

Tony looked up anxiously as the door opened. 

"All set," said Gibbs. "Discharge papers have been signed, the baby seat is fixed in the car. I had Abby run simulations on the top brands in the field, see how sturdy and reliable they were. Got everything we need set up at home. Did a rundown with McGee, made sure we haven't forgotten anything..." Gibbs frowned as he saw the expression on Tony's face. "What's wrong?"

"I...I don't think I'm ready to go home," said Tony. "I...we...I think maybe I need another night or so...just to be sure..."

Gibbs crouched down in front of Tony. "Doctor Wu gave you a complete check up this morning. She says there's no problem with your lung function and no need to keep you any longer."

"But what if she's wrong? What if I'm looking after Todd and...and I...I pass out or something?"

Gibbs took Tony's face in his hands. "It's not you you're worried about, is it."

Tony shook his head slowly. "I just...I just don't think I can do this." His voice was so soft that Gibbs could hardly hear him. 

"This?"

"Looking after him. Look at him, Jethro. He's so tiny...just a baby...I just don't...I can't...what if I screw up? What if I can't look after him properly? I don't know anything about looking after babies...Jethro, I can't look after something this important." Tony tried to push Todd into Gibbs's arms, but Gibbs wouldn't let him. The sudden movement made Todd wake up, and he expressed his displeasure at waking in the manner in which most babies do. 

"Wahhhhhh!"

"See? Now look what I've done, I can't do this, I just can't..." Tony was near tears as well as he tried in vain to soothe his son. 

"Shh, Tony, it's all right." Gibbs's voice was calm and soothing to both father and son, and after a few minutes, Todd had resumed his interrupted nap. 

Tony was a little more difficult to calm as Gibbs stroked the back of his neck. "Tony, you've been looking after Todd while you've been in hospital. Feeding him, changing him, bathing him. Nothing's going to change just because we're at home."

"But the nurses were there, and if I screwed up I knew they'd catch it."

"But you didn't screw up." Tony opened his mouth to say something, but Gibbs hushed him with a finger to his lips. "Tony, Tony...we all make mistakes. The first time I tried to put a diaper on Kelly without Shannon supervising...took me half an hour to get her all sorted...and when I picked her up I found I'd pinned her to the changing table!"

A half smile appeared on Tony's face as Gibbs continued, "And you won't be alone. I'm going to be on parental leave for another week or so. And you know that Ducky and Jimmy are only ever a phone call away. Don't feel that you can't ask for help Tony, there's no shame in admitting that you can't handle something and asking for help...the only shame is knowing and not asking for help. Tony, I have every faith in you...I always have. Do you think I'd trust you with our son if I didn't have complete confidence in you?"

"I'm just...just so scared I'll mess up...not just the practical stuff...diapers and things...but what if I'm a shitty father, just like my old man. I don't want to mess up Todd's childhood." 

"You won't...we won't. I'm not saying we'll be perfect parents. I know I'll probably be too strict, and you'll be too easy going...but between us, we'll do our best to raise our kid right. You and me and our son, Tony. We're a family now." Gibbs sealed it with a kiss. 

If it hadn't been for the arrival of the orderly, who knows how long they'd have stayed kissing, and reluctantly the two men parted from each other. 

"Thanks, but we won't be needing you," said Gibbs. He grabbed Tony's bag, which was stuffed with gifts from well wishers and almost twice as heavy as when he'd been admitted. It was so heavy that Gibbs nearly overbalanced as he swung it on to his shoulder. "We can manage fine."

"What was that somebody once told me," said Tony. "About there being no shame in asking for help?" He half turned in his chair and took Gibbs's hand. "I know you've always got my back...but I kinda like having you by my side." 

So hand in hand, Tony holding Todd and Gibbs, with the bag, the orderly escorted them out of the hospital and into the beginning of their new life.

-----------------------------

Six months later, the Gibbs-DiNozzo family met with Doctor Jackson. 

"I declare, that boy seems to double in size every time I see him," smiled Doctor Jackson as she greeted Todd. 

"He's sprouting like a weed," said Gibbs, his voice beaming with fatherly pride. "And he's got another tooth coming through."

"Yeah, you might want to keep your fingers away," warned Tony. "The little sucker's turning into a cannibal. I swear he drew blood on me last week!" He too had a note of pride in his voice.

"You seem to coping well with all the changes," said Doctor Jackson.

Gibbs had officially retired from N.C.I.S. three months earlier. He was still on the books as a consultant, but only worked a few hours a week, and never on weekends. When Todd was older and in school, Gibbs was going to consider increasing his hours, but for now he was a stay at home parent and loving it.

Tony was back at work full time, running his own team on the cold cases squad. Gibbs still worried about him every time he went into the field, but he knew that Tony needed his independence, and had a good team backing him up. 

They'd even moved house a few months earlier. A good sized home had come on the market, not too far away from Ducky's house. Or rather, not too far from McGee and Jimmy and Ducky's house. 

The team had gathered together for dinner at Christmas, Tony had finally gotten the dessert he'd missed at Thanksgiving, and Ducky had announced that the house they were in was now officially in the names of all three of them. He'd brushed aside any protestations from McGee and Jimmy, saying that a family needed a home to call their own.

It had seemed like fate when Tony and Gibbs had secured their own family home not too far away. The only thing lacking had been a basement for the boat...but as Gibbs told Tony "I don't need to hide in a basement anymore...not when I have a family waiting upstairs."

Gibbs's boat building plans hadn't been completely abandoned though, the new house came with a fully equipped workshop out back, and Gibbs had declared his intention to start a new boat. "New life, new boat, that's the way it is," Gibbs had said. Tony had teased him about simply not being able to figure out how to get the other boat out of the basement, but he too was looking forward to Gibbs's promise that this boat was one they would build together. 

"There's been a lot of changes since we started seeing you," said Gibbs. "Most of them for the better."

"It's been what, a year since we first met?" asked Doctor Jackson, although she was well aware of the answer.

"Yeah, a year today," said Tony, shifting in his chair. "And that's why..." he looked at Gibbs, who squeezed his hand and smiled. "That's why we felt today was a good place for our last session."

"You feel that you don't need any more relationship counseling?" Doctor Jackson kept her voice carefully neutral.

"It's not that..." Tony hesitated before continuing, "It's just...I mean, we could go on for years, talking things through with you, getting your advice...but in the end...me and Jethro, this is our life...our marriage. We know it's not gonna be plain sailing...we know there's gonna be ups and downs...and we'll probably hit some bumpy patches here and there...but we have to learn to deal with them ourselves and not come running to you for help all the time."

"Relationships aren't meant to be easy," said Gibbs. "But knowing that is half the battle. We really appreciate all you've done for us, Doctor Jackson, more than you can ever imagine. But now...now we're ready to go it alone." He squeezed Tony's hand. "Together."

There wasn't really anything Doctor Jackson could do to dissuade the pair, and she didn't even try. Eventually all her little birds had to try and fly on their own, and she was glad that these two had taken that step without any prompting from her.

"Look after yourselves," she said, as she escorted the family to the door. "And if you need to...don't feel that you have to cut me off totally. If you need me, just call."

She waved them off as they drove away in their car, before returning to her room and writing up her notes. "I love a happy ending," said Doctor Jackson as she marked the file "Closed"

------------------------------

The End 


	31. Epilogue part 1 of 2

Title: Misconceptions - Epilogue - 1/2 Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash/MPREG Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/Tony, Jimmy/McGee Rating: NC-15 Summary: Just a little fic to finish off the Misconceptions saga Warnings: Slash/MPREG Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing

------------------------

Tony smoothed down the jacket of his tuxedo and nodded approvingly at his reflection in the full-length mirror. "Not bad," he thought to himself. "How many men can still fit into their wedding tuxes twenty-five years later?" Of course, Tony had to admit that since he'd been heavily pregnant the first time he'd worn the tux, that might not be such as big an accomplishment as it sounded. He'd had the suit altered of course, having needed it again when he'd acted as McGee's best man the following summer. And okay, maybe it wasn't quite as roomy as it had been back then, but Tony defied any man to stay the same size for twenty-five years. Okay, maybe Gibbs, but he was an exception to every rule, and besides, he didn't have a post pregnancy belly to content with. But all in all, Tony had to admit that for a guy who was pushing sixty, he wasn't doing too badly. 

A noise from the doorway made him turn around and Tony smiled as he saw Gibbs standing there.

"If you don't stop admiring yourself, we'll be late." Gibbs moved across the room towards Tony. He wasn't quite as steady on his feet as he used to be. Two knee surgeries in the past twenty years, the surgeons had done their best, but old muscles didn't heal quite as well as they used to. Gibbs was still ambulatory, but his running days were over. 

---------------------

A lot had changed in the past quarter century, for all the team. 

Jimmy had taken to parenthood like a duck to water. He enjoyed it so much, that he repeated the experience four more times. Betty was born a year after he and McGee got married, with Kendra following eighteen months later. Their second son, David, was intended to be the youngest of the family, arriving when Donald was seven, but he was followed two years later by twins, Sean and Brian. 

The twins were a surprise in more ways than one. Both McGee and Jimmy had agreed that with two boys and two girls, their family was more than complete, but Jimmy had fallen pregnant again unexpectedly. He'd gone into labor prematurely, and for a while it had been touch and go as to whether any of the three would survive. But Jimmy had proven himself to be a lot tougher than most people gave him credit for, and he had pulled through, as had his babies. 

McGee's hair had turned white overnight with the stress and shock, and he'd vowed that this was definitely going to be the last time he put Jimmy through a pregnancy. He'd booked himself in for a Vasectomy the very next day, and unlike Gibbs, made absolutely certain that it had taken.

----------------------

Tony and Gibbs's relationship had had its ups and downs during the years. Much as he tried, Gibbs's past failed relationships had left their scars, and more than once he'd lived up to the second B in his name. The lowest point had come about nine years after their wedding, and while they had never actually separated, Gibbs did end up moving into the spare bedroom for a short period. 

It was actually Jimmy's close brush with death while having the twins that made both Gibbs and Tony realize how foolish they'd been. 

A truce had been called while they rallied round McGee, and once matters were stabilized and Jimmy on the road to recovery, Gibbs and Tony had finally taken a long overdue 'proper' honeymoon. They'd left Todd in the capable hands of the McGee-Palmer-Mallard household and spent their time together reminding each other of why they'd fallen in love in the first place.

The vacation had worked. So much so, that their daughter Nicola, arrived nine months later, almost to the day. While this pregnancy was almost as big a surprise as his first - Tony having believed that at the age of forty-five, he was unlikely to conceive again - it was certainly a lot less eventful and nerve-wracking.

No blown up buildings, paternity disputes, bereavements or life threatening injuries were there to mar this pregnancy for Tony and Gibbs. The most eventful occurrence was when David had managed to get a saucepan stuck on his head while pretending to be an astronaut. Gibbs was sure that those partners in crime, Todd and Donald had had something to do with it, but after a quick trip to the ER, saucepan and toddler were separated safely. Of course then there was a second trip to the ER when McGee had tried to demonstrate how easy it was for such a thing to happen, and managed to get his own head stuck in a slightly larger pan. 

------------------------

The years passed.

Jimmy had taken a career break after his third pregnancy, wanting to spend more time with his young family. He didn't return to work full time until the twins had reached school age, and even then, his priority was always his family. However it didn't stop him being appointed as Chief Medical Examiner when Doctor Holliday retired.

Director Shepherd was promoted to another agency, and to everybody's surprise, eighteen years after he had first become a field agent, Tim McGee was appointed as her replacement. 

There were many who felt that Tony would have been a more likely candidate, but he and Gibbs were the only two people who knew that he had actually been offered the post but turned it down. "I'm not a director type of guy," he had told the board when they had made the offer. "I'm a agent, plain and simple and I don't need the hassle of being Boss over everybody." The board had tried to persuade him otherwise, but he'd stuck to his guns, and recommended McGee for the post instead. 

"Are you sure you don't want the job?" Gibbs had asked him that night when they were in bed. "You're certainly qualified for it, and if anybody deserves it then you do. Not that McGee isn't capable, but you've got years of experience on him."

Tony shrugged easily, "I'm an agent, not a Director, Jethro. Putting me behind a desk like that, not my idea of fun." He kissed Gibbs on the cheek before adding; "I know you just want me out of the line of fire until I hit mandatory retirement age, hmm? But I promise you I'll keep out of trouble!"

It wasn't exactly a promise that Tony could keep very well, but he'd managed to serve out his time without adding too much to his collection of scars. A few scrapes and cuts here and there, the worst he had to show for the next few years was a burn on the hand from lighting the candles to celebrate Ducky's eighty-fifth birthday a few years later. 

"Well you've only yourself to blame, Anthony," Ducky had told him as he applied aloe vera juice to the burn. "Eighty-five candles, good grief, you're just lucky you didn't set off the smoke alarm!"

"Eighty-six candles," Tony pointed out, "Eighty five plus one to grow on."

Ducky was still living with McGee and Jimmy and their brood. His fears of succumbing to the same advancing senility as his mother had suffered from had proved groundless. While he did have the occasional lapse of memory, for the most part he was still as mentally acute as he had been when he was the Chief Medical Examiner. Although still in reasonably good physical health, he now needed a walking stick to get around, and had indeed amassed a large selection of them. 

Abby had been partially responsible for some of his collection. Some years earlier, she'd announced that she was bored, and had promptly taken off on a trip around the world, planning to take in as many haunted castles and alleged U.F.O. landing sites as she could find along the way. She'd sent Ducky various sticks from every spot she visited. Abby made it as far as Australia before meeting and falling for a fellow U.F.O. enthusiast, whom she'd married six months later. Although she didn't get back to the States all that often, she kept in touch through email and web-conferences. 

Ziva too had kept in touch, although not quite as prolifically as Abby. She had been recalled to Mossad after a few years and had used the experience gained with N.C.I.S. to propel herself through the ranks. Her exact job position wasn't known. As she had said in one of her conversations with Tony, "I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you and bury your body in the desert." Tony was sure she had been joking...pretty sure...well maybe not that sure...but he hadn't wanted to take the chance. 

On the job front, Gibbs had as planned, taken early retirement from N.C.I.S. after Todd was born. For the first few years, until Todd reached school age, Gibbs was pretty much a full time stay at home parent. 

Between Gibbs and Jimmy and Ducky and the new daycare facility at N.C.I.S., there was seldom any need for outside assistance with minding the children. Gibbs was so reluctant to let Todd out of his sight, that he even considered home schooling him once he'd turned five, but even at that age, Todd and Donald were close friends, and Gibbs knew that it would have been unfair to separate them. So he and Tony, and McGee and Jimmy had brought their little boys to school on that first day, and Gibbs wasn't the only one who claimed to 'have something in his eye' as they watched their sons run happily in to their new classroom.

"Little brats," Tony had said, "They'll be having the time of their lives, a whole new bunch of kids to terrorize!" But he'd been leaning against Gibbs as he said it, and Gibbs had heard the catch in his voice. They'd ended up spending the whole morning in bed together, just to take each other's mind of missing Todd. 

Unfortunately they couldn't do that every school day. Tony had cases to solve, and Gibbs used some of his new found free time while Todd was at school to continue working on his boat. His original estimate of having it ready for his and Tony's first wedding anniversary had been revised, but if he was being honest, it was all about the building and not the boat. Tony worked on it with him occasionally, and as soon as Todd and later Nicola were big enough to work the tools, they too took part in the process.

----------------

To be continued 


	32. epilogue part 2 of 2

Title: Misconceptions - Epilogue - 2/2 Author: Ceindreadh Email: Website: n/a Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.  
Fandom(s): NCIS Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash/MPREG Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/Tony, Jimmy/McGee Rating: NC-15 Summary: Just a little fic to finish off the Misconceptions saga Warnings: Slash/MPREG Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.  
Notes: Thanks to FatCat for her Beta'ing

2  
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Time passed and the families grew. Things hadn't always been easy, but as Gibbs watched Tony in the mirror, he knew that he could honestly say that the past twenty-five years had been among the happiest of his life. 

"If you don't stop admiring yourself, we'll be late." Gibbs moved across the room towards Tony. 

"You know they won't start without us," said Tony, smiling as Gibbs wrapped his arms around him. He kissed Gibbs on the nose. "We've got plenty of time..." He ran a hand down the side of Gibbs's face. "We don't have to leave for another five or ten minutes."

"Ya think?" grinned Gibbs, "Don't know about you, but I was planning on taking much longer than that."

"Well at your age I guess it takes you longer...ouch!" Tony rubbed the back of his head where Gibbs had slapped him. 

Gibbs kissed him on the cheek. "Much as I'd love to stay here and ravish you all afternoon, I think somebody might notice if the father's of the groom don't show up. And I don't particularly want a search party to find us 'in flagrante delicto'"

Tony laughed, "Yeah, not to mention the bride and groom would kill us for spoiling their big day! Man, our wedding was so much less hassle, just you and me and Ducky and McGee..."

"And Jimmy and Abby and Ziva. Yeah, I know. But the kids wanted a big day, and who was I to deny them."

"And to think you said that I would be the one doing all the spoiling," teased Tony. "You know full well they'd have had a much smaller show if you hadn't insisted on us paying for so much."

Gibbs shrugged, "They don't need to start married life with a whole bundle of debt. Besides, I told Todd if takes after me, he can pay for the next one himself."

Tony punched Gibbs lightly on the arm, "I hope you didn't let our future daughter in law hear you say that! You know the worst thing about having a forensic scientist in the family, she could kill somebody and hide all the evidence!" 

Gibbs snorted, "I'm not that tactless, Tony. And stop distracting me. Admit it, you just don't want to go to this wedding."

"It's not that I don't want to go," said Tony, his voice suddenly serious. "It's just..." He sighed heavily, "Our little boy is all grown up and getting married...and it seems like only yesterday I was so afraid even to hold him. I was so sure I'd mess up somehow." 

Gibbs hugged Tony even closer to him, "Didn't I tell you that you'd make a wonderful father, Tony? And I was right. Todd and Nicola couldn't have had a better father."

"Present company excluded?" Tony smiled and then sighed, "I know Todd is old enough to be getting married and living his own life, but to me he's still my baby."

"He always will be," said Gibbs. "But today he'll be your married baby, so come on, let's roll."

--------------------

Gibbs sat in the front row beside Tony, the place of honor as befitted the father of the groom. He looked at his watch. "She's late."

"Bride's prerogative," said Tony, glancing at his watch as well. "Besides, it's only five minutes."

"It's still five minutes after the agreed time."

Tony rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "Jethro, ease up a bit. Not everybody is a sticker for punctuality like you. She'll be here, don't worry."

"It's not me I'm worried for, Todd looks nervous enough already. If she's much later..." Gibbs nodded towards their son who was standing up at the front. Even as he spoke, Todd turned around to look at him, and Gibbs nodded and smiled reassuringly. Todd gave him a quick smile in return, then turned back to his conversation with his best man, Donald McGee-Palmer. 

"See, he's fine," said Tony. "Probably planning an escape route with Donald just in case he gets cold feet!"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs was about to say more, when a sudden burst of music alerted them both to the fact that things were starting to happen.

"See, told you!" said Tony, as everybody turned to watch the wedding party arrive. 

First to walk in were the bridesmaids, Kendra McGee-Palmer, and Nicola Gibbs-DiNozzo. Nicola, being a total tomboy, had initially refused point blank to dress up in a 'stupid dress that I'll never wear again and why can't I wear black nail polish with it anyway?', but a little bit of bribery had worked wonders and she had agreed that maybe a lighter shade of purple would match the lilac dresses that had been picked out by the bride.

The bridesmaids were followed by the bride and her father...well one of them anyway. Betty McGee-Palmer's smile was matched only by that of her father Tim, as he proudly escorted her down the aisle. 

Across the aisle from Gibbs and Tony, Jimmy was sitting with his other three sons. He surreptitiously wiped a tear from his eye as he watched his daughter make her way down the aisle. 

"Here, take this," said Ducky, handing Jimmy a tissue. 

"Thank you, Ducky," said Jimmy. 

"And there's plenty more where that came from if you need them," said Ducky, patting his arm reassuringly. 

----------------------------

Jimmy wasn't the only one needing tissues by the end of the ceremony. McGee's voice had cracked slightly when answering the celebrant's question 'who gives this woman to be married to this man?' and even Gibbs found himself choking up a bit as he watched his son say his vows with confidence. 

But later on at the wedding reception, there wasn't a trace of tears from the proud fathers as they watched their children on the dance floor. 

Gibbs had danced with Tony and then with his new daughter in law, but then had pleaded old age and a bad knee and insisted on sitting the rest of the dances out. 

"Old age, my ass," Tony muttered in Gibbs's ear as he sat down beside him. "Ducky's got fifteen years on you and he's still tripping the light fantastic." He nodded to the dance floor where Ducky was being ably supported by Jimmy as they moved in time to the music. McGee was taking his turn with the bride, and the other members of both families' were scattered around the place, all appearing to be having an enjoyable time. 

"Never was much for dancing," said Gibbs, "Leastways not the vertical kind." He grinned at his husband.

Even after twenty-five years together, Gibbs's smile still had the same effect on Tony and he could feel a familiar stirring in his groin. Leaning forward he whispered in Gibbs's ear, "How about we have an early night, mmm?"

"We're the fathers of the groom, don't you think we should stay till the end?"

"Well we can always say that you're a little tired. I mean at your age, you're not as fit as you used to be and...ouch!" Tony yelped involuntarily as Gibbs's hand made contact with the back of his head. 

"I'll show you who's still fit," growled Gibbs, mock threateningly. "But not until this party is over."

"Promises, promises."

----------------------

"She looks beautiful, doesn't she," said Jimmy, gazing adoringly at his daughter as she and her new husband took to the floor once again. 

McGee wrapped his arms around Jimmy, "That she does...but she still can't hold a candle to you on our wedding day."

Jimmy blushed happily, "You're just saying that because you want to seduce me tonight!"

"Is it working?"

"Oh yes!"

-----------------------

Hours later, when the party was quietening down, Gibbs and Tony and McGee and Jimmy found themselves gathered round their table. Ducky had retired from the scene a little earlier, and Abby - who was still suffering from jet lag - had taken herself and her husband off to bed as well.

"To Todd and Betty," said Gibbs, raising his glass. "May their lives be as happy and fruitful as those of their parents."

"To family," said Tony, "Old family," he winked at Gibbs, earning a mock scowl in return, "and new." He nodded towards McGee and Jimmy.

"To the friends that were able to make it here today," said Jimmy.

"And the friends that are no longer with us," said McGee, softly. 

"To us," said Gibbs, and they all clinked their glasses.

----------------------

Tony sighed happily as he leaned against Gibbs and watched the last few stragglers make their way around the dance floor. "Where did the years go?" he asked. "Seems like only yesterday we were all sitting round the table and I was panicking because I was going into labor and couldn't finish my dessert."

"Twenty five years," said Gibbs. "It's a long time." 

Tony turned to look up at him, "Don't think of it as being twenty five years...think of it as being half way through our first fifty years together."

-------------------

The End 


End file.
